


Death is Only the Beginning

by NitroThunder224



Series: Return by Death: MHA Edition [1]
Category: Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 | Re:Zero Starting Life in Another World (Anime), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angry Bakugou Katsuki, Angst, Attempt at Humor, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Sexual Situations, BAMF Midoriya Izuku, Bakugo is a bully, Bakugou Katsuki Redemption, Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot, Bakugou Katsuki is Bad at Feelings, Blood and Gore, Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia Manga Spoilers, Canon-Typical Violence, Characters will be added as they appear - Freeform, Consistent improvements, Crossover, Descent into Madness, Enemies to Friends, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Grooming, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Jealousy, Major Original Characters - Freeform, Memory Alteration, Mental Health Issues, Midoriya Izuku Does Not Have All For One Quirk, Midoriya Izuku Does Not Have One for All Quirk, Midoriya Izuku Has Multiple Quirks, Midoriya has Return By Death, Mindfuck, Minor Cameos - Freeform, No Mineta Minoru - Freeform, Obsessive Behavior, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Out of Character, Overarching Story, Parental Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Protective Bakugou Katsuki, Re:ZERO spoilers, Return by Death (Re:Zero), Romance, Shinsou Hitoshi Replaces Mineta Minoru, Shinsou Hitoshi is in Class 1-A, Slight Canon Divergence, Slight to major OOC, Slow Burn, Spoilers, Suffering Midoriya Izuku, Suicidal Thoughts, Temporary Character Death, Time Loop, Time Travel, Todoroki Enji | Endeavor's Bad Parenting, Trauma, Tsundere Bakugou Katsuki, What-If, dwindling sanity, minor original characters, multiple POVs, slight nsfw, updates weekly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:27:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 28
Words: 86,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26410372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NitroThunder224/pseuds/NitroThunder224
Summary: Midoriya Izuku has been quirkless for as long as he can remember. Bullied by his peers and an outcast at his school, the poor boy just wishes for things to be different.His wish is granted, and only after a horrible mistake does he finally get his quirk: Return by Death. With his newfound power(s), can Midoriya overcome the trials faced before him?https://discord.gg/mcrwEMY
Relationships: Bakugou Katsuki & Midoriya Izuku, Jirou Kyouka/Kaminari Denki, Midoriya Izuku & Hatsume Mei, Midoriya Izuku & Shinsou Hitoshi, Midoriya Izuku & Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Midoriya Izuku/Original Female Character(s), Midoriya Izuku/Uraraka Ochako, Shinso Hitoshi/Rem (Re:Zero)
Series: Return by Death: MHA Edition [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1974562
Comments: 225
Kudos: 448





	1. A New Quirk Emerges

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning(s) of Midoriya's horrifying adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit of 12-29-20: Fixed needless paragraph spacing and added a few lines.

**ARC ONE:  
** ** THE TORMENT TO U.A. **

* * *

*****************  
Early morning light streamed through the All-Might curtains, stirring young fourteen year old Midoriya Izuku awake. He yawns and moves aside his All Might blanket, sitting up on his bed. He then sighs as he has yet another day to go through.

Midoriya stands up on his wood-paneled floor, stretching his body in all directions to prepare for the day. Heading to his oak wood closet, he strips all the way, and proceeds to put on his school uniform, not before noticing all the yellowish green bruises covering his arms.  Shaking his head, he finishes putting on the rest of his clothes. Exiting his room to the bathroom, he felt the chill of the white-tiled floor beneath him. Like everyday, he began his daily routine.

After a boring two minutes of staring at his reflection while brushing, Midoriya heads to the kitchen, going through a hall with pictures of himself as a boy smiling while holding an All Might figurine. Upon entering the room, his nose was blessed by the smells of white rice and eggs being made by a short woman wearing a pink shirt and a light gray skirt, with her green hair in a bun. “Good morning, Izuku!” His mother, Midoriya Inko, happily greeted him, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“Morning, Mom!” Midoriya replied and, not skipping a beat, he returned the kiss. “Do you need any help with breakfast?”

“Hmm, I think I need sesame seeds for the eggs,” she said with a thoughtful look upon her face. Inko gestured with her head to the cabinet. Nodding, Midoriya reached up to open the cabinet, with his sleeves slipping down. A large gasp is heard from his mother.

“I-Izuku, what happened?!” she worries, turning off the stove to make sure her son is alright. “Who did this t-to you?!”

“I-um, it was…no one! I-I fell!” Midoriya horribly lied, his face betraying his words. He felt his mom’s concerned eyes upon him.

"Those look like burn marks, Izuku..."

Midoriya dared not open his mouth, lest he tell the truth and get Bakugo in trouble. With his eyes on anything but his mom’s, eventually his eyes landed on the clock. _“8:17?!” _ he screamed in his mind. “I got to go, Mom, I’m late. Sorry!” Midoriya gives his mom a quick peck on her cheek, goes to the door, and throws on his shoes haphazardly.

“O-okay! Don’t forget to tie your shoes!” she calls after him.

“Alright, Mom!” he replied, lazily tying it. “I love you!” Midoriya throws open the door, and races down the street.

** Day One, Thursday, 3:00 PM  
**The final school bell rang throughout the building, with the whoops and cheers of students filling the classrooms. Emerald eyes scanned the newspaper headline from the glowing glass screen of his phone:

_Breaking News:_ _ The Sludge Villain has escaped confinement! _

The article continued down below before Midoriya was interrupted by a mad blonde teen. “Oi, Deku! Your shoes are untied, dumbass!” Bakugo yelled, sneering at the panicked boy. He was sick of this insignificant bug. “How come when the teacher announced who aced the test I was the only one?! Why’d you fail, Deku?!” he asked, venomously.

“I-I forgot to study!” Midoriya quickly stammered back.

“Bullshit! I KNOW you study your ass off everyday thinking you can get into U.A. like the rest of these extras!” he waved his hand at his classmates, getting quite a number of dirty looks. He knows that the stupid Deku was lying. Getting lower grades than the all mighty Bakugo?! Midoriya was mocking him.  _“Is this Quirkless loser pitying me?!”_ Bakugo screamed internally. “YOU THINK YOU’RE FUCKING BETTER THAN ME, YOU BASTARD?!”

“O-of course not, K-Kacchan! I j-just want to go to U.A. as equals!” Midoriya was sweating bullets, wondering if he was going to receive burns or a deck to the face. 

As it turned out, neither happened, as Bakugo grabbed the Hero Analysis for the Future No. 13 off the Quirkless boy’s desk. “Equals? Equals?! Don’t make me laugh, you Quirkless bastard!” he laughed maniacally. “What’s this, nerd?!” he went through all the pages, barely reading any of it until his eyes happened to land on one page in particular: his own. His face contorted into a grimace as he skimmed through the numerous paragraphs of information about him. It had sections of his pros and cons, strategies on how to beat him, and so forth. He closed the book, then with his right hand Bakugo set it aflame, a dark look upon his face. He threw it down on the ground, stamping out the small flame with his sole of his shoe. “DON’T FUCKING STALK ME!” he screamed, spit flying everywhere. Bakugo stomped off to the classroom door, his frightened cronies following close behind.

“I-I-I didn’t stalk you! That book took years to make!” Midoriya felt tears starting to form, but he pushed them down. Bakugo turned his head around only slightly, enough to barely make eye contact with the distraught teen.

“Remember when you said you wanted to be equals?” Midoriya nodded hesitantly. **“Take a swan dive off the roof. Who knows, maybe a failure like you will get a Quirk in the next life.” ** Bakugo left the room with a devilish smirk upon his face, leaving the shell-shocked boy in his wake.

** 3:30 PM  
**Police sirens rang, with the sounds of car honks off in the distance. A lone teenager walked the busy streets of his city, getting jostled and pushed around. His eyes were glazed, and Midoriya was lost in thought. _“Three years…three hard fucking years of work. Burned, but thankfully, not lost. That’s…something, at least,”_ Midoriya thought bitterly. He was taking a slight detour home, wanting to stop at his favorite katsudon restaurant to ease his sorrows.

The city was a maze with its twisting paths and numerous shops. One would easily get lost without a map. And once upon a time, the greenette did get lost trying (several times) to reach the restaurant. However, this hasn’t been the first time he’s made this detour. 

Midoriya breathes out wearily while walking down the alley. He felt heavier for some reason, as if some invisible force was pushing him down. Minutes passed, with Midoriya’s breath getting heavier and heavier by the second. The longer he walked, the heavier Izuku became; until finally he couldn’t take it anymore and sat down.

“You got more willpower than some adults, kid,” said the man walking towards Midoriya.

_“Where did he appear from?”_ he asked silently. Midoriya tried to stand, but feels too heavy to do so.

“Ya see, most folk get tired from the constant building force on their bodies, but you, kid? You took it like a champ,” the man praised him. Izuku takes a good look upon the man. In his early twenties, the adult was no taller than 5”7’. Slightly overweight, he wears a dark purple, almost black, skin tight suit, with two white letters in the center of his chest reading “GC”. He wears white gloves and white boots, both of which look very worn out, as if it’s been used for a very long time. This “GC” man wears no mask, and the signs of battle show on his face. Numerous scars coated his Caucasian face, with both of his icy blue eyes appearing…strained? Not only that, Midoriya realizes that throughout this man’s entire monologue, he hasn’t blinked once.

Izuku's mind began to analyze the situation in a disorganized mess,  _“Can’t move because of his Quirk. He hasn’t blinked since I first saw him, his eyes are strained as if he’s been keeping them open, and he’s been putting pressure on me for a couple minutes by now. Conclusion: His Quirk relies at least on sight.”_

“Name’s Gravity Controller, you caught me in a good mood today, so I won’t hurt ya…too much,” he says with a sadistic smile on his face, leaning closer to Midoriya. His breath reeks of cheap ramen noodle and potent alcohol, with his smile showing too much yellow teeth. Knowing he was going to get hurt either way, courage began filling Izuku’s chest. Midoriya did the one thing he hopes will work: he spits in the villain’s face. “Son of a bitch!” Gravity Controller says, trying to wipe the disgusting yellow phlegm-like spit from his eyes.  With Gravity Controller’s eyes off Midoriya, the weight holding him down completely goes away, as if it was never there. Seizing his opportunity, Midoriya threw his backpack at the man, running off in a random direction. Pencils and pens flew into Gravity Controller face, stinging him.  “GET BACK HERE, YOU DAMN BRAT!” he yells at him, trying to catch up. Luckily for Midoriya, he knew these streets a bit better than the villain, barely one second ahead of him.  That was until he reached a dead end. Midoriya stretches his head up the concrete wall, seeing it stretch on for what felt like forever. Slowly, he turned around to face the very angry man behind him. Gravity Controller was clearly out of shape, with sweat dripping off his face.

Taking in deep labored breaths, the older man slowly said, “You’re fucked, kid.” His irises changed from brown to icy blue and Midoriya immediately felt gravity change, slamming him into the wall. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t move. Gravity Controller pulled out two brass knuckledusters from his back pocket. “You’re a pain in the ass, but smart, ya know?” He put the knuckledusters on by the time his fist slammed against Izuku’s chest, knocking the wind out of him. Fist after fist slammed into him, each one leaving a new bruise. With each punch, the smile on the man’s face grew larger and larger. After an agonizing five minutes, the man was too winded to continue on. With the last of his strength, he threw one final punch against Midoriya’s head, satisfied when blood began to drip down the boy’s head. Gravity Controller released his Quirk, his irises returning to their natural brown color. Midoriya’s regular gravity returned, and he unceremoniously fell onto the ground. Grinning, the man spat on the boy's head before walking away into the shadows.

** 4:00 PM  
**Pain greeted the emerald eyed boy as soon as he awoke. He felt multiple bruised ribs, a couple cuts along his face, blood dripping down his temples, and a massive headache. With a groan, Midoriya did his best to stand up, wobbling along the way.

 _ “Fuck, that hurt …"_ he thought as his legs felt like a freight train crashed into them. He painstakingly limped back to where he first met his assaulter. After turning here and there, he breathed a sigh of relief as his backpack was right where he threw it.

Midoriya searched around inside, finding his wallet (with nothing stolen) and his emergency first aid kit. He usually used it for when Kacchan used him like a punching bag or a training dummy. Luckily enough, he still had enough leftover supplies from yesterday to fix himself up. From there, Izuku applied rubbing alcohol and bandages to his cuts. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Midoriya put his backpack back on and continued his walk to the restaurant.

** 4:15 PM  
**Finally in front of the tiny restaurant door, the greenette was hungry, tired, and oh so dehydrated. His mouth salivating, he walked in.

Bustling with life, he sat down at his favorite spot. With the plump red cushioned leather beneath him, he took a moment to relax. Midoriya felt the stress getting to him, but he patiently waited until the waitress came. He asked for his usual: katsudon with extra pork and extra MSG, along with a single Coke. Immediately as the rice, egg, and pork hit his tongue he felt better; being brought back to his childhood days of eating katsudon with his mother after a bad “fall” when playing with Kacchan.

He scarfed it all down, feeling a tad sluggish/better from all the food. Midoriya paid the waitress ¥1,000 for the drink and food, going on his way back home.

** 4:50 PM  
**A poor rock was being assaulted by a limping, slightly bruised green haired boy. Being kicked again and again, with the occasional whipping of a shoe lace, Midoriya kept his head down as he walked steadily down the sidewalk, making sure not to bump into anyone unless he wanted pain. After the shit day he’s been through, the young lad just wanted to go home and watch his favorite video of All Might.

Several mini explosions in quick succession happened nearby. Izuku whipped his head up, seeing thick, nauseating black smoke coming from a crowded alleyway. He sees multiple Pro Heroes, such as Mount Lady and Kamui Woods trying to get everything under control, but failing miserably. Midoriya pushes through the crowd to try and get a better look, before he hears a very familiar voice screaming, “DIE!”

 _“Is that…no! It can’t be…”_ Midoriya thought horribly as he finally got to the front of the crowd. His denial came to fruition as he saw the struggling form of his former childhood friend turned bully being submerged in a thick, sludge-like substance: Kacchan. Fire surrounded him on almost all sides. He clawed at the Sludge Villain to no avail, his eyes showing debilitating fear.

His legs carried him to the Sludge Villain before Izuku even knew what was happening. He had no idea what to do, no idea on how to save Kacchan. As he ran closer and closer to the threat, he assessed the situation:  _“Unarmed physical attacks are ineffective, however the villain’s eye seems to be a weak poin-“_

Izuku’s train of thought stopped suddenly as he tripped over his shoe laces. The last thing Midoriya saw was the light leaving Kacchan’s eyes as the Sludge Villain entered him orally, killing him from the inside out.

** 7:00 PM  
**A steady beeping sound woke Midoriya Izuku from a restless slumber. A pounding headache awakened him further. His head burned like he had a fever. The greenette blearily opened his eyes to find himself in a hospital room, gown and all. He moved his head slightly to the left to see his mom crying softly.

“…Mom?” Midoriya whispered, struggling to speak with his dry mouth. Inko whipped her head up, her crying stopping temporarily. She got up and hugged her son in a flash, fearing she’d lose him if she ever let go.

“Izuku! I-I-I was so w-worried when I got the call! I’m so glad you’re safe!” Midoriya was glad his mom was there, but his mind had a more pressing issue. He struggled out of her hug to look her in the eye.

Grabbing her arms he asked, “Is Kacchan okay?” desperation evident in his horse throat. He felt the blood drain from his face as he heard the familiar words, “I’m sorry…” Everything else she said becoming a blur.

Midoriya Izuku didn’t know when he got cleared from the hospital, or when he was led to his room. All he knew was that he wouldn’t, no, couldn’t speak. Not after knowing what happened.

His childhood friend, Kacchan, died, and it was his fault.

** Day Two, Friday, 3:00 PM  
**The final school bell rang throughout the building, with no whoops and absolutely no cheers coming from the students that filled the classrooms. Quiet whispering was heard coming from everyone, with the same words being repeated, “…Quirkless…failed…anyone else…he’s responsible.”

Midoriya just kept his head down, his eyes glazed over. He heard what they said and agreed with every word. It was he who rushed in, it was him who fucking tripped, and he was the reason why Bakugo was gone. Izuku closed his eyes at that fact, knowing that he would never talk to him again. He thought back to what Kacchan said to him yesterday:

**_ “Take a swan dive off the roof.” _ **

_“That…isn’t a bad idea,”_ the Quirkless boy thought darkly.

** 6:30 PM  
**Midoriya stood atop the highest point of his middle school. Hiding in the school till everyone was gone wasn’t hard, as the constant bullying gave him the necessary hiding places. The sunset was a beautiful orange-yellowish glow. He drunk in the view, knowing that would be one of the last things he’d see.

Izuku took off his shoes and set it aside. He looked over the edge of the roof. It was a good three stories down. The grass appeared so far away, but that was to be expected.  With a shuddering breath, Midoriya spoke aloud, “I’m so, so, so sorry, Kacchan. I-I failed you. I hope you can f-forgive me.”

His final words said, the greenette walked off of the roof, his body turned upside down in the air. As his head approached the ground, the final thought Midoriya Izuku would ever have was that if he could have gone through Hell to save Kacchan, he would have done it.

A resounding  _SNAP_ happened when his body made contact with the floor.

** *************  
**Emerald green eyes blinked rapidly to the sudden blurriness. When they finally adjusted, the boy was staring at an article of the Sludge Villain. He was confused. _“ I thought I-shouldn’t I be-why am I-“  _ his thoughts was abruptly stopped short when a spiky blonde haired boy slammed his hands down on his desk.

“Oi, I’m trying to talk to you, Deku!” Midoriya slowly lifted his head, his eyes filled with disbelief and confusion at who he saw. “By the way, your shoes are untied, dumbass.”


	2. Disbelief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midoriya jumped off the roof of his school building. So why was he still alive, and wasn’t the sun setting before?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit of 11-06-20: I fixed up the chapter, as there was pointless paragraph spacing.

** Day One, Thursday, 3:00 PM  
**“Deku? Deku?! Are you ignoring me?!” Bakugo screamed at the silent teen. He couldn’t believe it, fucking Deku of all people was ignoring HIM! Ever since Izuku pulled out his phone, his whole demeanor changed. He went from relaxed and calm to rigid and distant in a second. Bakugo knew something was up, and after waiting a couple of seconds, the blonde teen slammed his hands down on Midoriya’s desk. “Oi, I’m trying to talk to you, Deku!” Midoriya slowly lifted his head, his eyes filled with disbelief and confusion at who he saw. His mouth opened to make a slight ‘O’. Finally, a reaction. “By the way, your shoes are untied, dumbass.” Tears began to drop down Izuku's face, his face shifting to surprised relief upon seeing him.  _ “The fuck’s wrong with him?” _Bakugo thought, wondering what the hell was going on.

“Kacchan!” Midoriya lunged at him, restraining his arms. He buried his head into the blonde’s chest, tears and snot covering him. “Kacchan!”

“Get the hell off me! The fuck’s wrong with you,  Dek…u?” Bakugo wanted to be angry at him for acting weird, lunging at him, AND restraining him. That was until Bakugo realized he wasn’t restrained in the usual sense: he was being hugged by Deku, as if his life depended on it. The young blonde was so confused, as Deku hasn’t hugged him like this since…ever. At least ten years? He wanted to get to the bottom of what the hell happened to his…friend? Victim? Whatever. “Oi, Deku, the fuck’s wrong with you?” Bakugo asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the tears seeping through his clothes.

“You’re okay you’re okay you’re okay you’re okay…” came the quiet response from the crying child. It was like a mantra, never stopping.

“Fucking hell, Deku. Let’s…go to the nurse,” Bakugo hesitantly suggested. Seeing as Midoriya didn’t disagree, he detached the set of arms holding him. Before they left, Bakugo got a couple of confused/worried looks from the extras in the class. He gave them the death stare as they left the classroom for the nurse.  The walk there was awkward, as the nerd wouldn’t let go of his arm. Bakugo would have forced him off long ago, but he didn’t have a heart to do it.

“Fucking, Deku…” the blonde muttered. Finally there, Bakugo opened up the door loudly. “Oi, Miss Hiroko!” the nurse turned to face him. She was a young short woman, under 5”5’. Wearing glasses, she gave the very familiar students a look over. 

“Katsuki, what did you do this time?” she wearily asked him. This was not the first, nor the last, time Midoriya was in this room.

“I didn’t do shit! Just do your damn job!”  
  


** 3:20 PM  
**For fifteen agonizing minutes, the nurse has been doing test after test on the emerald eyed boy to no avail. With every minute passed, Bakugo slowly got more and more worried. Over him! Fucking Deku of all people! ”There doesn’t seem to be anything physically wrong with your friend-“

“HE’S NOT MY FUCKING FRIEND!” came the heated reply from the pissed off boy. 

“Watch it, Katsuki!” Miss. Hiroko warned, Bakugo wincing. Not many could say they made the explosive boy wince. “Your…’acquaintance’ here is physically fine, but mentally, he is not. What happened before you brought him here?” 

“No clue. He was fine before, then he became…this,” he gestured to the quiet, sniveling form of his childhood friend. He had stopped crying loudly long ago, only sniffing his nose every couple of minutes. Midoriya kept moving his head side to side, as if he was denying something quietly to himself.

_ “Fuck this, the nurse ain’t working and dipshit here ain’t either.” _He sighed angerly, knowing he was going to regret this. “For fuck’s sake, Deku. Follow me!” Bakugo grabbed the unresponsive boy’s right wrist, ignoring the calls of the worried nurse. He dragged him out of the room and into a nearby bathroom. Throwing him in there, Bakugo took in his surroundings. The temperature of the room was a bit colder than the outside. The blue-tiled flooring gave out loud creaking noises under their weight. Bakugo slammed open all three stalls, and after confirming nobody was hiding within them, he gave Deku a once over. “Oi, Deku! If you don’t respond in the next three seconds I’m gonna slap the shit out of you!” he shouted at his ‘acquaintance’. No response, Midoriya’s eyes were just…lifeless. One. Two. Three. “SNAP OUT OF IT!” Bakugo yelled, giving a backhanded slap to Midoriya’s cheek. The greenette blinked his way out of his shock, finally coming to grips with what he was experiencing. Deku shook his from side to side, trying to clear his head.

Bakugo, seeing that Deku was lucid, put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. Midoriya stiffened up at the unexpected touch, expecting another blow to his face. “You…feeling okay?” Fuck, was he that bad at this 'feelings' bullshit?

“O-oh, sorry for the scare, K-Kacchan! I’m perfectly f-fine now,” Midoriya, responded, lying through his teeth while scratching the back of his head.

The blonde looked at the greenette in his eyes, knowing that the other was lying. He sighed, “You’re telling me tomorrow, Deku. Get some rest.” Bakugo gave him an awkward pat on his shoulder, before he walked out of the room. In the silent room, Midoriya had only one question on his mind:  _ “Was Kacchan being…nice to me?” _He shook his head, that thought would have to wait. Midoriya immediately lifted his shirt and looked at his reflection in the mirror. No snapped neck (obviously), no bruises anywhere, his shoes were back on his feet (untied), and after a bit of walking around, no limp either.

 _“Let me get this straight: I jumped off the fucking roof, felt the brief second of pain as my goddamn neck snapped, and now I have no injuries, along with Kacchan being alive,”_ Midoriya thought,  perplexed. He should be dead, yet, he’s not. As he recalled his last moments before his death, Midoriya felt a stirring in his chest. Something new was in his very being. It felt like he could pull on it, like a metaphysical string. The oddest part was that Izuku knew the color subconsciously: purple-ish black. After a few tentative pulls, nothing happened.  _ “Is this what it feels like to have…a Quirk? It feels…foreign.” _With a couple of deep, heavy breaths, Midoriya knew he needed answers. Was he truly reliving yesterday, was this real and not some weird comatose dream? And if he was reliving yesterday, could he save Kacchan? 

Before he left the room, Midoriya tied his laces tight, making damn sure they wouldn’t come undone, and began to retrace his steps.

** 3:40 PM  
**Every step he took felt familiar as he went through the back alleys of the city. The same rats scurried away, the same leaves rustled, and the same familiar pressure was pressing down on him. Midoriya knew what was going to happen, but he refused to believe it. After a minute of pressure, he needed to sate his curiosity. He sat down four minutes earlier than he did the first time.

“I expected more willpower from ya, kid,” said the familiar voice of the overweight man walking towards Midoriya. He turned his head in disbelief on what he was confirming. “Most folk get tired from the constant building force on their bodies after two minutes, but you, kid? You failed after a minute. Are all kids like this nowadays or are ya just special?” the man disappointedly asked him. It was him, Gravity Controller. Everything was going (mostly) the same way again. Midoriya wanted to test how far this “dream” would go.

“Gravity Controller, right?” the greenette asked the overweight man. The man’s icy blue eyes widened in surprise.

”You…know me?!” 

“Of course, you beat up some of my bullies last week,” he lied, wanting to gather intel on this man.

“You were bullied like me?! I mean…you were being bullied and I inadvertently helped you? I never thought I’d actually help anyone…” Gravity Controller looked conflicted, yet at the same time had an embarrassed smile like he was secretly happy. He shook his head, his irises turning brown once more. The weight came off of Midoriya.  “Look, I don’t do this often so…be more careful next time. See ya, kid, I…gotta fly,” the man in spandex said as he jumped off high into the air until he became a little speck.

 _ “He can change gravity to roughly fly?!” _Izuku thought, dumbfounded.  _ “That went very differently than last time. One tiny change and I’m unhurt…that gives me an idea.” _

** 4:00 PM  
**After ordering rice and stir fry at his favorite katsudon restaurant, Midoriya began to silently contemplate what he was going to do next as he looked at the steak knife.

** 4:15 PM  
**With the stolen knife in his pant’s pocket, Midoriya walked into a local Mom and Pop hardware store. Inside, he found a rather spacious room. With several dozen shelves, not to mention being unfamiliar with the store, he walked up to the register.

“Why, hello there, young lad. What can I get you?” said the eighty or so old man. He wore a blue and red cap with graying hair underneath with the slogan “Plus Ultra!” engraved on it.

“Oh, um, hi! I’m looking for a fire extinguisher, a harness, tubing, rope, and some duct tape, please.” Midoriya asked politely. 

With an odd questioning look, he replied, “Follow me.” The old man led him to aisle 12 and aisle 19. After picking up one medium fire extinguisher, one harness, some tubing, one rope, and one roll of duct tape, the price came out to be a heart shattering ¥7,349.68. One nervous swallow later and Izuku was outside the hardware store holding his stuff in his brown plastic bag. Looking to his left and right, he saw very little people around him. _“Time to get to work.” _ As he went around a couple alleyways, Izuku saw no one was following nor watching him. With that, he started his little project.

Connecting the fire extinguisher to the harness wasn’t bad, just some rope here and some duct tape there. Rigging the rope to the handle was the easiest part. Lengthening the tube to reach his left hand was a pain, as Midoriya had to make sure the pressure would stay constant.  After a good thirty minutes of attempts, it was ready. Granted, it wasn’t pretty but if Izuku had to guess, it’d probably work. With the stolen knife in his right pocket and the jury rigged fire extinguisher backpack on, Midoriya ran to The Alleyway where Kacchan would be.

** 4:50 PM  
**Extreme déjà vu smacked him in the face as soon as Midoriya saw the same exact crowd surrounding the alleyway, with the black smoke rising from the same place. He took a deep breath, hoping (but failing) to calm his nerves. With the hose in his left hand and the rope in his right, Midoriya pushed his way through the crowd with the thought,  _“Here goes nothing!”_ ,  ringing in his mind. After several of the Pro Heroes failed to stop him, Midoriya sprinted his way to save Kacchan. His plan went into motion: he tugged on the rope, activating the fire extinguisher. With his left hand, he got rid of the red hot flames all around him, allowing him (and the Pro Heroes) to get to Bakugo. As the Sludge Villain feinted his attack, Midoriya recalled what he wrote about said villain before he got himself into this mess:  _ Quickly stretch out arms (vines) to make the opponent flinch back, and then use that opening to restrain them. _

With that knowledge in mind, Midoriya went against his instincts and didn’t stop his dead sprint, pulling out the ‘borrowed’ knife. The Sludge Villain was surprised, hesitating when the young teen kept running.  A cry of determination left his throat as the greenette jumped and slammed the knife straight through one of the villain’s eyes.  The monster let out a loud pained cry echoed throughout the small alleyway, being heard from several blocks away. The Sludge Villain released the young blonde teen from the sheer pain of having its eye gouged out.

Bakugo landed harshly, greedily gulping in breaths. “Dek…u?” he asked, amazed.

“Kacchan, we can’t stay here! We have to-“ Midoriya was cut off from his heartfelt reunion when the Sludge Villain picked him up by the foot and slammed him into the wall.

“THAT FUCKING HURT, YOU BITCH!” screamed the sludge monster. Picking up the greenette again, Midoriya was slammed against the opposite wall then the floor.

Face down on the ground, he felt the concrete against his left eardrum. He felt like all his bones were broken (because they were). He couldn’t even move a finger, but amazingly, he was still somehow breathing. Izuku moved his eyes, seeing Bakugo stand before him, almost like he was protecting him. Kacchan looked pissed.

“Oi! The only one…who gets to hurt Deku…is me, you bastard! DIE!” Bakugo declared as he rushed the Sludge Villain.  Before he even got a foot away from the dying body of Midoriya, his body was filled with the viscous liquid of the villain. And as soon as it went in, it came out. Bakugo slumped over, dead.

“I’ma gonna make this nice and sloooow for you,” came the venomous voice of the Sludge Villain. His pungent smelling liquid poured into Midoriya’s mouth, suffocating him. “I wonder what it’s like to die. Can you please tell me? Oh, sorry. I forgot what I was doing to you.” Even without seeing it, he knew that bastard had a smile adorning his sludge face.

_ “It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts,”  _ came the panicked thoughts of the dying teen. His vision was fading fast.

“Are you in pain? Are you suffering? I hope you are.” The sounds of violence and shouting became background noise as Izuku’s consciousness faded. Why isn’t anyone saving him? “Do you want to die?” the man’s voice sounded so far away.

_ “Die? No, I don’t want to die! I want to live! Am I dead? Am I still alive? It hurts! I want it to stop! When will I die? When will I die? I’m scared! I’m scared! I’m scared! I’m scared! I’m gonna die! I’m gonna die! I’m gonna die! I’m gonna die! _

_ “Oh…I’m dead.” _   
  


**Day One, Thursday, 3:00 PM  
** “I’m talkin’ to you, Deku!” Bakugo spat at the teen, frustrated that Deku of all people was ignoring him. Midoriya lifted his head wearily from his phone. He was back in the classroom, again. Being bullied by Bakugo, again. 

“How many times have you bullied me today, Kacchan?” Midoriya asked monotonously, testing his fingers.

Taken aback by how dead Deku looked, Bakugo replied back with, “I haven’t bullied you yet, dumbass. Hit your head or something?”

After a couple of seconds of slow blinking, Midoriya immediately perked up. “Yeah, I must be thinking of another day,” Midoriya laughed a bit, “yeah, I gotta run, see you, Kacchan!” And with that, Izuku was off before the literal explosive teen could argue.

** 3:20 PM  
**Midoriya was back in the alleyways of the city, trying desperately to stop what was apparently fated to happen. With traffic in the way, he couldn’t take the most direct route to The Alleyway, so the Katsudon Route it is. He was jogging at a decent pace, making good time. He was scaring the same rats away, until gravity flipped and Izuku was ten feet off the ground, upside down.

“How did ya know I was here?” a man walked out of shadows, Gravity Controller. He was breathing heavily, most likely trying to keep pace with Izuku. 

“Can you put me down already?! You’ve done this, like, three times already! No one is THIS persistent!” Midoriya shouted at the gravity manipulator, impatient. He had to get to the Mom and Pop store and save Kacchan in The Alleyway, and this fucker was slowing him down.

“Hey, don’t take that tone with me! I was having a good day until you came along! And what do you by mean ‘three times’?!” Gravity Controller yelled back, agitated that a little twerp like him would back talk him.

“You wouldn’t get it,” Midoriya said matter-of-factly.

“I WOULDN’T GET IT?!” Gravity Controller’s eyes widened, enraged that this brat, no, this little shit was so arrogant. He was gonna teach him a lesson. 

The man brought his eyes to the floor quickly, dragging Midoriya along with it. He slammed him into the ground over and over and over again, the kid’s cries of anguish and pleading to stop feeding his sadism.  At last, the man turned off his Quirk, leaving a near dead child on the floor.  Taking off his gloves to make it much more personal, he began to punch the greenette into the concrete. 

Was it minutes or hours? Either way, an eternity passed until Midoriya drew his final breath, and left this world behind.

**Day One, Thursday, 3:00 PM  
** Phone in his right hand, Midoriya felt no pain. Nothing but his memories tormented him. He died over and over again, yet everyone was acting like it didn’t happen. Kacchan was yelling at him again, the noises of the other students were back, and once again, Izuku’s shoes were untied. Everything should have been normal. After the shock of dying again faded, Midoriya felt something…foreign inside his very being again. Something new. He felt two strings inside of him this time instead of one. The first being purple-ish black, the other ice blue. Taking a deep breath, he tried to tug on the new string.

Midoriya’s irises began to hurt like he’s been staring too long. He looked up to see Kacchan’s surprised face before the both of them suddenly began to float upwards a couple feet off the ground.

“Deku?” the blonde asked, absolutely amazed, “Why are your eyes blue?”

Midoriya stopped pulling on the string, and the instant he did, Bakugo fell back to the ground. Both of their faces were in shock. The blonde quickly scampered upwards to Deku’s desk.

“YOU HAVE A QUIRK?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for commenting on the first chapter! After getting a little feedback and seeing how many liked it, I just had to get this chapter out. I hope you enjoyed, and please tell me how I can improve!


	3. Messing with Gravity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midoriya has a new qQuirk, the ability to manipulate gravity. He and Kacchan test it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, the support for this fanfic is crazy! Over 400 of you have decided to read my story?! I honestly can’t believe that. I know I’ve done this every chapter, but I thank each and every one of you who reads, comments and/or gives kudos!

**Day One, Thursday, 3:02 PM  
** The classroom was utterly silent. So silent in fact they could hear every individual breath from every student. They never thought they’d see the day that…this would happen. The greenette and the blonde stared at each other, the former with utter surprise, and the latter with a grin.

“No. Fucking. WAY! You finally got a Quirk, Deku!” Bakugo exclaimed, looking oddly proud for some reason. Midoriya was just as surprised, if not more. 

_ “Did I get this newfound power when I last…died? But that doesn’t make  any sense. And who did I get it from…oh. I got it from  him,” _Izuku thought, the pieces slowly but surely coming together. Then another thought occurred to him, one that needed an answer. “Kacchan, are you…proud of me?” Midoriya asked, perplexed.  _ Never _has Bakugo been proud of him. Ever.

“O-of fucking course not, dumbass!” the loud teen denied, his demeanor back to normal. “Come on, nerd! Show me what you got!”

“O-okay?” Midoriya replied, not knowing how to react. He activated his Quirk again, with the sensation of strain on his eyes coming back. Izuku focused his now icy blue eyes this time on his desk, imagining that it was lighter than air. Like a child letting go of their balloon, the desk flew up at incredible speed, slamming into the ceiling with an audible  CRACK being heard from the impact. “I’m so sorry!” Izuku immediately turned off his new Quirk. The desk fell back to the ground, hitting the floor and coming apart. With a guilty smile on his face, all eyes fell upon the emerald eyed boy; most were scared, one angry, and Bakugo’s was excited.

“This is gonna be fun,” the explosive blonde said.

**3:15 PM  
** “Okay, I understand why I’m here, but why are you here, Kacchan?” The boys were at their childhood park by their homes. Bakugo had to threaten the stupid Deku so that he could come with.

“I want to see you test out your new Quirk, you fucking moron.”

“Okay…” Midoriya really didn’t feel like arguing, partly because it kept Kacchan away from The Alleyway, but mostly because it felt like old times when Bakugo would show off his Quirk. Except this time it was Midoriya showing off  his Quirk.

An hour flew by with many, many discoveries. Midoriya found out that he could activate his Quirk, (that he dubbed Gravity Adjustment), with his hands and feet as well. It didn’t matter if it was direct contact or through clothing or equipment, it always worked. He could make objects and people lighter than air or heavier than four buses. Not only that, with enough concentration, Midoriya could affect a single limb of a person without affecting the rest of it. There were lots of applications of this Quirk, seemingly infinite.

“Hold the fuck up, Deku!” Kacchan suddenly said, startling the boy.

“Yes?” 

“Could you do a super jump?”

Midoriya’s eyes widened at the thought. Thinking about it, he said with a grin, “Only one way to find out!” And with that, Izuku launched himself into the air, screaming the entire way.

“Fuckin’ idiot…”

** 4:25 PM  
** Car honks were heard from seemingly every damn direction. A traffic jam for miles. Bakugo dragged Deku here for some god awful reason, claiming it to be ’training’.

“Oi! Listen up, nerd! You’re going to jump from here,” Bakugo pointed to the ground, “all the way to that tunnel over there,” he then pointed over all the traffic.

After a couple of quiet seconds, the gobsmacked boy asked, “Why would I ever do that?”

“What, are you fucking stupid? You’re a nerd, for fuck’s sake. Being under pressure is the best way to learn! Have you never been thrown in the deep end?!” Bakugo questioned.

“Yes, I have! By you! I don’t want to do it!” Midoriya grimaced, remembering that dramatic day at the pool. He knew if he tried to jump over the traffic he’d probably die…wait a second.  _ “Is that really even a concern anymore?” _

“Fuck off! That was an accident! I SAID YOU’RE GONNA JUMP, DEKU! SO MOVE YOUR ASS!“ Bakugo demanded.

With a sigh, Midoriya quietly said, “I’ll do it." Bakugo could swear there was a fire lit in the former Quirkless boy’s eyes. Etched on Kacchan’s face was surprise, not expecting this to be so easy.

“So the Deku grew a pair of balls, huh?” Bakugo teased, grinning like a hyena.

Midoriya rolled his eyes before taking a couple of deep breaths. He activated his Quirk, feeling his irises change color, along with the strain coming back. He walked backwards a good couple of feet, then did a running jump into the air with his eyes closed. Izuku thought of his body being lighter, but  not like a balloon. Something that still had some mass. He felt the wind whip against his face. Cracking open an eye, he was zooming past the cars. A laugh escaping his throat, Midoriya looked ahead. He slowly gained weight until he landed a couple of feet away from the tunnel. With the sidewalk finally back on the soles of his shoes again, he took in rapid breaths. Adrenaline was pouring through his veins, he could hear his heartbeat in his head. Izuku didn’t even hear Bakugo land beside him.

“Holy shit, the Deku survives. Not the way I would’ve done it, nerd, but that’ll do!” Kacchan back-handedly complemented him. Midoriya was too giddy with excitement to care. Was this how life could be with a Quirk? 

“Two medium-sized invisibility cloaks?! It’s my lucky day!” said an ominous voice coming from the dark tunnel. As soon as the two teens moved their heads to the murky voice, they were dragged into the darkness, with their lungs filled by a pungent fluid.

_“No…not him!”_ Midoriya’s guess was right on the mark: The Sludge Villain was suffocating him, again. He was hiding in the goddamn tunnel?! Izuku knew that this was his end, he might as well just let it-

“GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME, YOU SLIMY BASTARD!” came the cry from the pissed off blonde. He somehow managed to free himself before being restrained again.

_ “Kacchan! No! I won’t let you die again! I won’t!” _ With a single thought, Midoriya thought with all of his being that the villain’s gravity increased tenfold. A shout of surprise came from the sludge monster as he immediately slipped off both teens, allowing them to breathe again. “Fuck you!” Midoriya yelled at the puddle of evil, stomping his foot into it. Kacchan, not used to hearing the other swear, cracked a smile so wide his head should have come off.

“Fuckin’ bastard…” the blonde agreed, and whispered (under his breath), “good job.” Midoriya was too happy that he finally saved his friend to mention that he heard Bakugo. A sewer grate flew up into the air hitting the ceiling of the tunnel, with the accompanied loud metal  CLANG  sound. Getting into a fighting stance, Kacchan's almost correct and Deku's awkward, they prepared themselves for whatever the hell they were going to fight.

“It’s all right now, young man! I am…here?” A buff man of incredible strength burst out of the sewers. He was wearing a casual white shirt that barely held in his enormous muscles. With a wide smile and vibrant yellow hair sticking up like a rabbit, both Bakugo and Midoriya came to the same thought.

_ “ALL MIGHT?!” _ The number one Pro Hero…in front of their very eyes, had come to save them?!

“Excuse me, young men. Have you seen a sludge villain as of late?” All Might asked, scratching his head. He was sure he heard screaming earlier.

“Um…” All Might looked to the boy with blue eyes. The greenette pointed down at the sentient puddle.

“…I lost track of him awhile back. I apologize. Did you both use your Quirk to defeat him?” All Might was so confused.  That  was the villain he was chasing? What the hell happened to him?

“I didn’t do jack, All Might,” came the pissed off voice of Bakugo. 

“I…um, u-used my Q-Quirk, All Might! I’m so sorry!” Midoriya bowed, realizing that he used his new power illegally.

“You stupid Deku, it was self-defense!” Kacchan argued.

“Yes, your friend here is right! Using your Quirk for self-defense is completely alright!” All Might assured, giving a thumbs up. “Before I ask, what are your names?”

“M-Midoriya Izuku, All Might!” Deku stuttered out.

“Bakugo Katsuki,” came the unusually silent teen. His thoughts were stirring around inside his head. 

“Young Midoriya, may I ask what is your Quirk?” All Might was curious on how this single teen managed to put down this monster.

_ “Shit! Do I tell him the whole truth or a half truth?!”  _ came the panicked thoughts of the teen. His eyes showed a second of hesitation, which did not go unnoticed by both people. “I have the ability to control gravity! I-I call it Gravity Adjustment!”

“Calm the fuck down, Deku!” 

With a warning glance at Bakugo, an impressed All Might said, “My, that sounds quite strong,” All Might pulled out two empty plastic bottles, “Sorry to cut this short, but I must be off!” The number one Pro Hero promptly began to put the Sludge Villain into both bottles. After a brisk ten seconds of cleaning, All Might squatted downwards to jump.

“Hold up, All Might!” came the booming voice of Bakugo. He was fucking livid at the audacity of his idol.

“I really can’t stay long, yes?” The hero asked, running short on time before he returns back to ‘normal’.

“We both nearly fuckin’ died in that tunnel because _YOU_ fucked up and let the villain escape! We both nearly suffocated in there, and if it wasn’t for Midoriya’s-I mean Deku’s new Quirk, I’d be fucking dead! Doesn’t he deserve a reward or something, goddamnit?!” Bakugo spat out, enraged.

“You’re…absolutely right, Young Bakugo,” All Might’s signature smile vanished. Turning towards Izuku he grimly stated, “Young Midoriya, without your selfless actions today, many lives would have possibly been lost due to my mistake. And you were going to not get the recognition you deserve. To amend that mistake, what do you want from me, the number one Pro Hero, All Might? Within reason, of course.” 

Blinking back his surprise and trying to act on this opportunity, Midoriya took off his backpack, pulled out a pen and his Hero Analysis for the Future No. 13 notebook.  “C-can I have your autograph?!” Midoriya presented his notebook and pen to his idol.

All Might’s mouth was wide open.  _“This kid saved possibly tens or hundreds of lives by stopping this menace and all he wants from me in return is…an autograph?”_ After a couple seconds, All Might brought a hand to his face. He gave out a booming laugh before taking the pen and notebook. “Any specific page?”

“N-not really, but I’d like two autographs on two separate pages.” All Might nodded as the boy asked, flipping through the pages while speed reading.

_ “For being a kid, this information in the wrong hands could be disastrous!” _ All Might worriedly thought. “Here you go, as promised!”

“Thank you very much! It’ll be a heirloom! A family treasure!” Midoriya was bowing up and down at a sickening pace.

“Don’t mention it! It’s Midoriya Izuku, right?” Deku nodded furiously. “Good to know. Well, I’ll be off!” All Might began to put the villainous bottles in his pants pockets.

“All Might! Shouldn’t you hold the bottles in your hands as they could fall out?” Midoriya questioned. 

After some brief silence, All Might put the bottles in his hands. “Stay safe you two!” And with that, All Might sailed away into the sky.

“You okay, Kacchan? You were a bit…quiet,” Midoriya didn’t notice until now that the blonde barely spoke except for that outburst earlier.

“It was your fucking moment, Deku. You…deserved it,” Bakugo said while looking down, saying the last part more quietly. “How come you hesitated saying your Quirk?”

“I, um, I’m just not used to saying that I have a Quirk,” Midoriya lied again, hoping to convince Bakugo. The ripping of paper was heard coming from the greenette.  “This is for you!” Midoriya tore out one of All Might’s autograph and offered it to his friend? Bully? 

Bakugo’s eyes widened at the sudden gift, his eyes looking longingly at the paper.

“I’M ONLY TAKING YOUR SHIT BECAUSE YOU SAVED ME, GOT IT?!” Kacchan yelled at his savior.

“Right.” Bakugo took the paper, walking away from the formerly Quirkless boy. 

“See ya, nerd!”

_“It feels…good to be treated nicely,”_ Midoriya thought while smiling.

** 11:00 PM  
** Midoriya was back in his room, laying down on his bed, absolutely ecstatic. He finally did it. After three days full of death, he finally saved himself and Kacchan. His reward? All Might’s signature. Was he happy to get it? Of course. Was it worth dying three times? Absolutely not. But it was absolutely worth it to save Kacchan. Midoriya knew it in his heart that he would have died an additional 84 times to save him, hell, a thousand more. _“Wait, can I even die more than three times…I better not find out.” _

A thought struck him. He rushed out of bed, going immediately to his closet. How the hell could he forget to do this?! After moving aside some clutter and random debris, Izuku finally found it: _“Hero analisis for me!!!”_ Midoriya smiled at the awful spelling on the cover of the notebook. He hasn’t seen this thing since he was ten. Turning on a lamp, he opened his notebook to the first page and realized he forgot that he already wrote in it. On the top in big childish handwriting were the words ‘ _My Quirk:_ ’. Spending some time debating on what he was going to do, he decided to erase the colon and added a more mature ‘s’ to the end of ‘ _Quirk_ ’ before re-adding the colon. Putting a bullet point on the page, Izuku thought long and hard at what to call his first Quirk.

 _ “Besides the…sheer horror that simply can come about with this ability, what should it be called? It takes me back through time after I suffer a horrible death, which allows me to change things. It kept returning me to my classroom where I was safe, as well. That’s it!” _ Midoriya Izuku wrote these words on the first line of the page after the first bullet point: 

** Return by Death. **


	4. Saving a Girl with Gravity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midoriya gets an idea on how to better train his Quirk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit of 2-15-21: Fixed the spacing and whatnot, may need to fix if I made it worse.

**My Quirks:**

**Return by Death (1/2): (Emitter type? Mutation type?) Allows myself to travel through time after I die to a set location. It's unknown how many times I can die, but I've died up to three times without problem. I seem to be the only one to remember anything from the previous timelines.**

**Quirk Copy from Death (2/2): (Emitter or accumulation type.) Allows me to copy a Quirk before death. There are at least some strict rules before receiving a Quirk; as evidenced by dying two times from the Sludge Villain, I didn't get his Quirk. However, I died only once to Gravity Controller and got his power. Conclusion: Quirk may rely on direct physical contact.**

**Gravity Alteration: (Emitter type. Range of 30 feet.) It allows me to change the direction/strength of gravity of anything I see or touch. When activated, my irises turn to an icy blue and causes eye strain. Too much use of this Quirk has caused me temporary blindness from the pain. I can make things heavier or lighter than air. Not only that, I can also passively control my own gravity with my Quirk activated. Using my eyes I can control almost any object/person that I want. Moving my eyes to any direction moves the objects/person to that location. Blinking turns off my Quirk temporarily. Touching people/objects with my hand/foot allows me to control the gravity without having to look at it. Can work through clothing/equipment.**

**Conclusion: Limitless applications, must test to find out**.

* * *

**2:00 AM**  
Midoriya sighed, putting aside his notebook. Laying down on his bed, he felt absolutely exhausted. He stayed up all night to write in his old notebook. Izuku knew that these new powers were useful, but a part of him felt like it wasn't his, at least not yet. Not until he got better with them. And he knew just the training grounds to achieve that goal. Midoriya Izuku fell asleep on his bed, dreaming of a specific beach.

**3:35 PM**  
After school, the greenette took a long 30 minute jog all the way to Musutafu and he finally arrived at his destination: Takoba Municipal Beach Park.

The time traveler, while drinking water through a plastic bottle, thought about the countless times he's been at this very beach when he was young. The cold sea at his feet, the hot sand between his toes, the smile upon his mom's face. Izuku couldn't remember how many times he built the biggest sand castle he could, along with a crudely made All Might. He also couldn't remember how many times Kacchan destroyed said castle when his mom invited Bakugo Mitsuki and her son.

Good times. Midoriya still could recall the day when his mom told him they can't go anymore, because it was getting 'dirty and messy'. At the time, he said he would clean it up all by himself.

It was a filthy junkyard now. The salty wind was replaced by a curled milk smell. Not only that, it was also thick to breathe. With all the heavy debris, it'd be almost impossible to clean it up all by hand, unless you were going through some ludicrous training or something. Which is why this would be a perfect place to test his abilities. His plan? Use his Gravity Alteration Quirk to crush all the garbage together into a cuboid shape, which will make it more compact (and dense) to eventually remove when he's all done; while at the same time also testing what it can and cannot do.

Izuku looked at all the garbage, it was easily a mile or two long. For shits and giggles, Midoriya turned on his Quirk and tried to lift it all of it at once. Immediately he felt the pain of a million suns. A loud smashing sound reverberated around him as Izuku closed his eyes. Besides the excruciating pain in his eyes, he knew that he managed to pick up some of them, which made the test a partial success. After a long five minutes of temporary blindness, he felt better enough to begin his big project.

**7:00 PM**  
Izuku has never felt this much pain (while being alive) nor this tired in his entire life. Making each cuboid was really difficult, as it required moving two or more objects at the same time with different gravity. After making over 1,000 cubes of garbage, he felt like he made a slight dent, but not really. Midoriya felt that making 1,000 cubes a day was good enough training.

He found out a lot about Gravity Alteration. Such as that he can't fly, at least not yet. Additionally, he could only affect the gravity of anything (with his eyes only) of up to five objects, regardless of weight. However, with his hands he can control up to ten objects. Worst of all these discoveries, Midoriya found out that if he's passively controlling his gravity at any time, he can only manipulate one thing at the time. And with that thought in mind, Izuku began his jog home.

**The day before the U.A.'s Entrance Exam**  
It took ten months, with roughly 1,000 different eye strains, but Midoriya Izuku had finally done it. He made over 280,000 cubes of garbage. Was he tired? Yes. Was his body and Quirk at their all time best? Absolutely. He could jog for much longer now, and pick more objects up with his Quirk.

Now came a new problem: what the hell to do with all the garbage. The boy wanted to rent a garbage dumpster, but that costed more than ¥52,000 and there was no way he had that kind of money. He could burn it, but what if it gets out of hand? Eventually, Midoriya just left the beach, with the garbage in a neat pile. One day, he'd find a way to get rid of it.

**The Big Day, 8:40 AM**  
The blue archway of U.A. came into view, with the towering 'H' shaped building behind it. A sign next to the archway read 'U.A. High School Entrance Exam Location'. Izuku was wearing his standard school approved black uniform, along with his signature yellow backpack; he felt so nervous. Did he have enough control over his Quirk? Izuku thinks he does, but he hasn't used it outside of testing with inanimate objects. With a deep, shuddering breath, he walked underneath several smaller marble archways, noticing students of all kinds; some looked normal, while others clearly had mutation Quirks.

"Outta my way, Deku!" came a familiar voice. Midoriya turned around to see Bakugo wearing his school uniform with a blue backpack, along with a beige scarf around his neck.

"Kacchan! The greenette happily greeted.

"DON'T FUCKING TALK TO ME!" Bakugo screamed at him, still pissed off about the day Midoriya saved him. _"I could have saved myself!"_ he thought, arrogantly.

"G-good morning. L-let's both do our best…" And he was gone. _"Ever since that day, Kacchan hasn't talked or bullied me ever since I gave him that second signature."_ With a sigh, Midoriya recalled how he's different, stronger and (hopefully) better than before. With that in mind he began to walk until he noticed a brown-haired girl started to trip right in front of him.

Before he could even think, his Quirk activated, changing his irises. Midoriya made it so that she was weightless, almost like if she were in space. As she floated in mid-air, the girl looked very confused. He quickly walked over to her, moved her body so her feet were on the ground, then turned off his Quirk. Midoriya got a good look at her. She was cute, with a permanent blush adorning each cheek. The girl wore a brown jacket/shoes, along with a pink scarf.

"I-I'm sorry for using my Quirk on you without your permission!" Midoriya apologized, bowing to her.

"N-no, it's okay! It's bad luck to fall, right?" she asked to the greenette.

"Um, yes!" Midoriya was not used to talking to girls.

"Isn't it weird that we have similar Quirks?!" she asked Izuku with a thoughtful look upon her face.

"Wait, you have a gravity Quirk, too?" Midoriya was shocked, to say the least. _"What are the odds?"_

"Yep, I call mine Zero Gravity! It can make objects and people weightless and float. What's yours called?"

"M-mine is called Gravity Alteration. It allows me to change the direction/strength of gravity of anything I see or touch," Midoriya said, reciting what he wrote in his old notebook.

"That sounds amazing! I'm sorry, but I've got to go or I'll be late. Let's do our best. See ya!" the girl gave a short wave before walking off.

All Midoriya could think about as he walked into the building was, _"I talked to a girl!"_

**9:00 AM**  
Midoriya sat in a gymnasium-like room with many of the other future students. The stage lights above turned on one by one, with the large flat-screen T.V. powering on and showing the U.A. logo. On stage appeared to be a man wearing a dark black suit with red gloves/elbow guards. He wore some shades over his eyes, and his hair was going straight upwards. It was a bright yellow color. _"It's the Voice Hero: Present Mic! In the flesh!"_ Midoriya thought, fanboying.

"Welcome to U.A. everyone! Everybody say 'hey'!" the man greeted, his voice booming with his Quirk. He turned to the side, putting his right ear to the audience, expecting a reaction.

Silence permeated throughout the room. "What a lively bunch!" Present Mic said, "I'll quickly go over the practical exam, then! Are you ready? Yeah!" Again, silence came knocking on the door. "O-kay! As it said in the application requirements, you all will be doing ten-minute mock urban battles! After this presentation, you'll head on over to the specified battle center, okay?" The sound of paper shuffling resounded through the room, being made by every applicant. Midoriya decided to look at his exam ticket. It said he'd be in Battle Center B. Present Mic began to talk again. "In each battle center, there are three different types of 'villains'. Each one gives out different amounts of points depending on the level of difficulty. Use your Quirk or anything you can find to immobilize those 'villains'. For obvious reasons, attacking other examinees or doing any unheroic actions is obviously strictly prohibited!"

"Excuse me!" came the voice of a dark blue haired student sitting a couple of rows in front of Midoriya.

"Go ahead!"

"It says on the printout that there are FOUR different types of villains! If this is a misprint-" the boy was stopped from speaking any further when Present Mic interrupted.

"Hold up, Examinee Number 7111! I was just getting to that." Present Mic cleared his throat, "What I was going to eventually say that there is in fact four villains, not three. We Pro Heroes have decided to call the fourth type of villain the Zero-Pointer, as it rewards zero points. It's a walking obstacle in the way. You COULD defeat it, but there's no real reason to do so. My advice is to just avoid it."

"Thank you very much! Sorry for the interruption!" The boy who stopped the presentation bowed down to apologize before seating himself.

"Now before I send you listeners out, remember: Go beyond. Plus Ultra!"

**9:10 AM**  
After changing into his blue tracksuit, Midoriya shakily got off the bus that dropped him and the other applicants at Battle Center B. After the ten months of training his Quirk, was he ready? _"Only one way to find out!"_ Everyone was waiting for the buzzer or whatever to go off, when suddenly the gate opened with no preamble.

"What are you waiting for! In real life there are no buzzers. Now run!" came the voice of Present Mic.

Immediately, everyone began to run, hoping to score points. Midoriya changed his gravity as soon as he could so he could get on top of the buildings. Once on the roof, he began to take in his surroundings. They were in a miniature-sized city. Already, Izuku saw several robots roaming around. He jumped to the closest one, a Three-Pointer. Using his gravity Quirk, Midoriya picked it up and slammed it over and over again against the walls/floor. _"This reminds me of when this happened to me…"_ he grimaced with that thought.

Finally, after a good 20 seconds, the robot was down. He'd need at least 57 more points if he wanted to ensure his win. _"It's taking too long to destroy just one of them! I need to think fast. How can I use my Quirk to destroy them faster?!"_ That's when he saw it. The answer to his prayers: A steel rod resembling a spear sticking out of the destroyed machine. Midoriya got a devilish idea. He ran over to the rod and pulled with all his might, knowing that time was short. It didn't bulge a bit. _"I should've increased my muscle mass during my training!"_ Midoriya knew he came too far to stop now, so with a thought he changed the direction of the gravity tenfold of the rod to upwards, then pulled.

With it now free, he fixed its gravity before he began to run around until he saw another robot, this time a Two-Pointer. He threw the rod with all his strength, and it soared through the air, going straight through the head of the robot with his controlled gravity. _"This should make things easier."_

Eight minutes have passed, with Midoriya scoring a grand total of 20 points from the various robots he found. He needed more. Izuku ran onto a street where several of the examinees and destroyed robots were.

That's when the ground started to shake. It was like a mini earthquake, with the glass beginning to shatter around them. A large shadow came over all of them. They all craned their necks upwards. Up above them all, taller than even the buildings themselves, was what had to be the Zero-Pointer. With it's eight beady red eyes, and monstrous body and hands, it seemed folly to stay around any longer. Before he could even move, he was pushed to the ground by everyone running past him.

After they cleared, Midoriya got up to run before he saw a familiar brown head of hair. Her legs were stuck under a ton of rubble. The Zero-Pointer began to move closer to the both of them. _"No…she'll be crushed!"_ His legs began to move before he had time to realize that he wanted to save her. Midoriya looked around everywhere around the girl, seeing plenty of rubble nearby him. He began to touch all the biggest rubble he could, then he changed the gravity of some of them, throwing them precisely at the giant's head.

Even though his eyes burned like never before, he kept throwing rubble after rubble, ton after ton; until finally, an almighty explosion rang from the beast. Midoriya, with the last of willpower, threw the rocks off the girl before he closed his eyes, holding in his wail of pain.

"And time!" came the announcement of Present Mic. Izuku had failed at getting the points he needed, and so he let himself be consumed by the pain, falling into unconsciousness.

***************  
Uraraka Ochaco was amazed. This boy saved her not once, but twice in the same day. From what she could tell, he looked like he was in pain while saving her. But yet, he pushed through it, all to save her. _"Who is he?"_ Ochaco wondered to herself. _"Why did he save me? He didn't need to at either time!"_ When the paramedics came, she decided to follow the one with the green haired boy.

**10:00 AM**  
Midoriya awoke to some mild eye strain. It was to be expected, especially after the stunt he did today, but that didn't mean he was happy about it. He looked around a bit, seeing that he was the nurse's office.

"Oh! You're awake!" came a familiar bubbly voice. He turned his head, seeing the girl he saved. "Thank you so much for saving me! How are you feeling? And would you mind telling me your name?" she asked the greenette.

"I feel better than before. My name is Midoriya Izuku. And yours?" He was curious, did she come here just to thank him?

"My name is Uraraka Ochaco!"

They began to chat for the rest of Midoriya's stay, and when they realized they had to sadly depart, Izuku received his first ever phone number from a girl, and gave his own phone number to said girl for the first time in his life.

**One week later**  
After all the days of waiting, it finally arrived: The letter from U.A. that will make or break his dream of becoming the number one Pro Hero. Midoriya opened it up hesitantly, finding a circular disk inside. When it suddenly turned on, he accidentally dropped it on his desk. A projection of All Might appeared wearing a tacky yellow suit.

"I am here as a projection! Though you passed the written exam, you still only got 20 points from destroying the robots." Midoriya paled at that.

_"I failed…"_

" **If** that was all we were judging! How can a hero course reject people who save others and do the right thing?" Midoriya picked his head up after hearing that, not believing what he was hearing. "Rescue points! Given by a panel of judges, it's the other basic ability we at U.A. look at! And you, Midoriya Izuku, scored an additional sixty points. You pass!"

He was floored. He did it. He did it! All that hard work to train his Quirk, and it finally, finally paid off.

"Come, Young Midoriya. This is your hero academia!"

After a couple of tears, Midoriya declared to the projection, "Yes, All Might!"


	5. The Roundhouse Kick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midoriya's first day at school. It can't go that badly, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Over 1,000 of you have decided to read my story?! Mere words cannot express my gratitude!  
>   
> Edit of 2-18-21: Added new words, fixed up the spacing. May improve in the future.

**April, Monday, 7:00 AM**  
Midoriya Izuku was tying his shoes on the ground, with his signature backpack stuffed full of school supplies to his right. “Izuku, are you sure you have everything? Do you need a tissue?” Inko worried after her son. Her little boy was leaving his home to go to U.A. High School.

“Yes,” came the distracted reply. Midoriya was going to be late if he stayed any longer.

“What about your hanky?” she asked, wanting him to stay a little longer, even if it was selfish. He stood up with his task done. Midoriya gave his mom a kiss on the cheek, then hugged her.

“I really have to go, Mom. I love you.”

“I love you, too, Izuku! Don’t forget to call!” she hugged him back harder, happy tears threatening to spill.

“Don’t miss me too much. I’m off!” Midoriya said with a grin, before jogging off to his new school/home.

**7:36 AM**  
Izuku had finally made it. After a good jog, he finally made it to the U.A. building. After jogging around campus, aimlessly searching for his class, Midoriya at last finally find the gigantic door of Class 1-A.

Compared to the door, he was an ant. With a shaky breath, Midoriya opened the door, ready for his new life. _“I hope I’m not with any of the scary students…”  
_

“May you PLEASE take your feet off the desk?!” came the exasperated plea from a certain dark blue-haired boy.

“Huh?! Did you say something to me, Four-Eyes?!” Bakugo sneered back, casually laying back in his chair. He was enjoying the pissed off expression of the other.

“We are U.A. upperclassmen! Isn’t it rude to put your feet up on the desk that someone else made?”

“I don’t give a shit! What school did you go to, you NPC?! Let me guess, you’re some pretentious elite?!” Bakugo mocked, his shit-eating grin getting larger.

“I attended Somei Private Academy! My name is-" the boy with glasses stopped as he noticed Izuku in the doorway. All at once, the rest of the students turned their attention to one greenette in the room.

Anxiety overflowing him as he stuttered out, “Oh! U-um, hi?”

“Hello!” the dark blue-haired one said while he robotically walked closer to the greenette. “I am from Somei Private Academy. My name is Iida Tenya!” he declared, stopping a few feet from Midoriya. He held out his hand for a handshake.

“I-I’m Midoriya Izuku,” he nervously shook the other’s hand, “it’s nice to meet you, Iida.”

“Midoriya, I must commend you for realizing that there was secretly more to the practical exam! When I saw what you did for that girl, I knew that you were braver than me.”

_“He comes off a little strong, but I’d rather be equals…”_

“Midoriya! It’s good to see you!” came a bright and cheery voice from behind said boy. Turning around, he saw Uraraka behind him.

“Wait, we’re in the same class?!” she nodded, “That’s great! It’s good to see you, too, Uraraka!” Midoriya warmly greeted. They began to talk to one another as they both found their seats, which was conveniently next to each other horizontally. After talking to each other about life for a few minutes, the door unexpectedly opened and the class heard shifting noises. What they all saw was a giant yellow sleeping bag moving like a caterpillar crawling in. When the…thing finally arrived at its destination (the chair by the teacher’s desk) it lifted its head up and began to speak.

“Okay, it took you ten seconds before all of you were quiet,” came the flat, monotonous voice of the adult. His black hair was messy, with his yellow goggles dangling by his neck. “We already have so little time. And you're all wasting it already,” he said while getting out of his sleeping bag.

_“Is that our teacher? Are all our teachers going to be Pro Heroes? He looks so…tired.”_

“Some of you may somehow know me, but I’m your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shota. Nice to meet you. Now unfortunately, due to time restraints, I need you to put these on,” Aizawa said, climbing out of his sleeping bag. He yawned as he pulled out and offered U.A. tracksuits from a briefcase under his desk.

**In another corner of U.A.**  
"Very interesting…” came the mumbling of the deflated number one Pro Hero. He was sitting at his desk with his coffee nearby. God, he felt like shit. He had just barely gone over his limit while fighting crime today, and already he was regretting it. Toshinori had a case file in his hands which was made by Nezu, and for some odd reason, the bear was suspicious of a student. Specifically Midoriya Izuku, who was apparently Quirkless up until ten months ago; which coincides with what Young Bakugo also said.

Yagi Toshinori at first, thought, _“What’s the big deal? Some people like Young Midoriya get their Quirk late.”_ But as he read on, he realized that the chimera had some good points. Such as that the boy’s Quirk was very, very similar to a villain’s. One specifically named Gravity Controller, a newbie villain that is affectionately known in the underworld as ‘Fatass’, who also coincidentally flies over Midoriya’s neighborhood.

It all was too suspicious for Nezu, which is why the chimera was dragging him (in his hero form) with him to meet the boy personally later on today.

**7:45 AM**  
Everyone was outside in the sun on a field of dirt. Each and every one of them had changed into their new tracksuits. Some complained while some of the others liked it. Midoriya was in the latter. “I’m sure all of you have had a physical fitness test before. But I am positive to assume that none of you have done it with your Quirk. Today changes that,” Aizawa monotoned, yawning at the end. “Bakugo, I believe you got first place at the practical exam, right?” The blonde raised his head upon hearing his name. “What was your best softball throw?”

“67 meters,” Bakugo replied, his hands in his pants pockets.

“I’m sure you know what to do,” without warning, Aizawa tossed the ball to the explosive teen. Catching it on instinct, Bakugo gave a feral grin with whatever the hell he was thinking.

The blonde stepped up to the designated circle, and after getting into a pitcher’s stance, Bakugo yelled, “DIE!” as he threw it into the air, with an explosion right behind it.

“As you can see,” Aizawa pulled out his phone, which showed 2,313.6 feet, “the foundation of heroes should be done with their Quirks.” Everyone began to talk excitedly.

“That’s 750 meters! Are you kidding me?!”

“We can use our Quirks?! Hell yeah, I can finally see how manly everyone is!”

“This looks like fun!”

At that last comment, Aizawa eyes glowed red from the activation of his Quirk. “‘This looks like fun’, huh? All right, whoever comes in last place in all eight tests will be judged as having no potential, and will therefore be punished by expulsion,” Aizawa’s sadistic smile grew larger.

 _“Fuck me…”_ came the thoughts of a tired purple-haired boy.

“Welcome to U.A.’s Hero course!”

* * *

For the first test, the fifty meter dash was quite easy, as all Midoriya had to do was change gravity towards the end. He got 1.73 seconds, with Bakugo giving him a pissed off glare.

Next came the running jump. After changing his gravity, Midoriya got 113 feet. The only things he wasn’t good at was the sit-ups and side lunges. The one thing he absolutely nailed at was the ball throwing, getting a monstrousness 4,000 feet.

Some of his fellow students had interesting Quirks, such as Iida and the rockets in his calves. Others like Sero had a tape Quirk, which helped in some things while it was useless in others. Only one of them had a Quirk that didn’t help at all.

**8:30 AM**  
At the end of all eight tests, Midoriya managed to score 9th place overall. He was quite proud about it, as it showed that his hard work paid off. The one person who got last place in all of them was Shinso Hitoshi, much to his dismay. His Quirk was fucking useless in this. The teen in question sighed as he put his head down, depressed that he failed and was going to be expelled for having ‘no potential’.

“By the way, I was lying about the expulsion thing,” Aizawa stated casually, knowing what would have happen to the lilac-haired teen if he wasn't lying. Once upon a time, Shota doubted his own abilities when he was a student at this very school, wondering if he even had hero potential. Thankfully, with a little advice and direction, he became a Underground Pro Hero. Shinso Hitoshi's Quirk just wasn't suited for physical things, but that didn't mean he wasn't cut out to be a hero.

Shouting was heard from almost everyone, while the teen who wasn't expelled was praying, silently thanking whichever god who helped him.

**3:30 PM**  
After finishing the rest of his classes, Midoriya decided to retire to his new room at the dorms. Right before he managed to walk in he noticed a certain blonde teen leaning against the wall.

“Oi, Deku, I see that you’re getting used to your Quirk.” 

“Y-yeah, Kacchan. My Quirk has certainly been useful…” Midoriya responded awkwardly. This was the first time since the Entrance Exam that Bakugo was talking to him again.

“Good.” He began to walk away, apparently satisfied with his answer.

“Kacchan!”

“What is it, nerd?” he kept his eyes down for some reason.

“Why did you start hanging out with me on that day? Why were you…nice, like before, when we were young?” The simple question hit Bakugo like a truck. He’s been dreading hearing this question. His pride wouldn’t let him tell Midor-Deku the truth. So Bakugo did the one thing he always did when he didn’t know what to do: A roundhouse kick into Deku's face sent him flying down the stairs, hitting his head against most of the steps along the way.

“SHUT THE HELL UP, DEKU! I DIDN’T CARE ABOUT YOU THEN, AND I STILL DON’T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOU NOW!” Bakugo screamed at deaf ears. As he left the unconscious boy outside, he hated how bitter the lie on his tongue tasted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of you have noticed, I’ve been going through my earlier chapters and cleaning them up a bit, making them more consistent with the current ones. You don’t have to go back and read them, as it’s virtually the same.


	6. The First Week of U.A.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Izuku's first week at school. Hanging out with friends, training to be a hero, what could go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ~~Edit of 3-5-21: This chapter gained an extra 1,000 words. I changed some scenes to fix my narrative a bit and I believe I made the pacing better.~~  
>  Edit of 3-6-21: Holy shit, I'm a fucking idiot! I replaced chapter six with chapter nine! Fuck my life!

**Day One, Monday, 4:00 PM**  
As the gravity manipulator woke up, he saw an unfamiliar beige ceiling above him. Izuku felt a very dull headache, and tight bandages around his skull.

"Young Midoriya, I see that you've awoken," came the voice of the number one Pro Hero.

Immediately, the greenette shot upwards to greet his idol. "All Might! W-why are you here? And where am I?" Midoriya then noticed the mouse? Bear? Dog? "And who's the chimera?"

"Ah, Midoriya, quite the perceptive one, I see. I am your principal, Nezu." came the soft voice of the smiling animal. Nezu was wearing a suit with a red tie. Under 3', the chimera had snow white fur with a scar over his right eye, and a tail.

"I-I'm so so sorry, Principal Nezu!" came the nervous apology of Izuku.

"It's quite okay, Midoriya." Nezu shifted his pupils towards All Might, as if the bear was trying to tell him something.

"Oh! That's right, Young Midoriya, how are you feeling?" All Might asked the boy.

"I-I'm feeling fine!" Midoriya was feeling super nervous. And strangely, Izuku felt something was...off, for some reason. "So, why are both of you here? Aren't you busy all the time, All Might?"

"I was already at U.A. when I got the call from Nezu saying out that you were unconscious," All Might answered honestly.

"How come you were at the school already, and why did Principal Nezu call you specifically?" Midoriya asked innocently, his curiosity getting the better of him. Unaware to Midoriya, bullets of sweat was now rolling down the Pro Hero's neck, in fear of Nezu's disappointment later on today because of his little slip-up.

"To address your first question," Nezu held out his paw with one finger out, "All Might is teaching someone who has a very similar Quirk to him. Second," Nezu pulled out another finger, "I heard from All Might that he received help from you ten or so months earlier. So I thought a little reunion would be nice." The mouse's smile widened.

After making sure their student was okay, they left the room.

**4:20 PM**  
After the principal and All Might left his room, Midoriya began to scan his surroundings.

He had a decent sized dorm room, 12 foot by 12 foot. Izuku had dozens of boxes, most of which were filled with All Might merchandise, with a few being clothes and furniture. Once he was done sorting through each and every box, he first began to put his All Might stuff in every corner of his room. After that was done, Izuku put away his clothing in his new closet. Looking around his new place, it looked eerily similar to his original room, which made Midoriya quite proud.

Taking a deep breath, he decided that it'd be a good idea to socialize and get to know his fellow classmates. Once out of his room, Midoriya began to hear excited shouting coming down the hall from (presumably) the common room. As soon as he entered, Izuku saw and heard exactly why they were excited:

 _"Is that…Immortal Combat?!"_ Midoriya was dizzy with nostalgia. He remembered all those times he and Kacchan played this game at his house when they were young. He also remembered all the times he got burned whenever he won.

"Ay, bro! It's, uh...Midoriya, right?" a redheaded greeted him, a smile adorned onto his face.

"Um, yeah, I'm Midoriya Izuku. What's your name?"

"My name is Kirishima Eijiro. You into Immortal Combat?!" Kirishima excitedly asked.

"I-it's one of my favorite games!" he replied, hoping the conversation was going where Midoriya thought it was.

"YOU PIECE OF SHIT! DIE!" screamed an all to familiar voice in the common room.

"Sounds like Kaminari is beating Bakubro's ass again," his smile got bigger.

 _"'Bakubro'?"_ Midoriya asked with a confused look upon his face. _"No way did Kacchan get a-"_

"Oh, Bakugo and I became friends real quick. That dude is just so manly!" Kirishima said the last part with admiration in his eyes. "You want the next turn?"

Without even thinking, Midoriya nodded his head.

**5:00 PM**  
"What's the matter, Midoriya?! Can't handle a little electricity?!" Kaminari joked, spamming electricity bolts to beat Izuku's fighter in twenty seconds flat.

"You spammed one attack! How is that fair?!" Midoriya complained, his skills rusty after so many years.

"What else was I supposed to do, Mr. I Do The Same Combo Every Damn Time?" Some of the boys, Bakugo, Midoriya, Kaminari, Kirishima, and Shinso, were having a tournament to get to know one another (and also for the grand prize of ¥4,000).

"Boys, boys, you both did well. Midoriya, you lost so let Shinso play," Yaoyorozu Momo said. She, along with Uraraka and Tsuyu, decided to be the referees for the games. So far, Bakugo, Midoriya, and Kirishima have lost the games. Shinso cracked his neck, trying to wake himself up, as his eyes were threatening to close. The two of them, Kaminari and Shinso, chose their best fighter. Right before the match started, the purple-haired teen spoke.

"Hey, Kaminari. Let the best man win," Shinso said smugly.

"You're so going dow-" the electric teen stopped talking mid sentence. With his eyes glazed over, everyone watched in confusion as Shinso wiped the floor against the unresponsive teen.

 **"YOU WIN!"** came the announcer of the game. Shinso stood up, turned around, deactivated his Quirk, and looked at all the boys. He made a 'come here' gesture.

All the boys begrudgingly gave over ¥1,000 each. Bakugo and Kaminari looked the most pissed.

"FUCKING CHEATER!" Bakugo shouted.

"Next time we do this, no Quirks allowed. Got it, Shinso?" Kaminari, with an edge to his voice.

"Sure, whatever," the teen lazily responded as he walked away. Right before he could, however, Midoriya stopped him.

"Shinso, can I ask what's your Quirk?" the greenette asked, curiosity burning through him.

The tired teen berated to himself how stupid that move was earlier, as he wanted to have friends for at least a little while longer. Sighing, Shinso realized this was bound to happen sooner or later, so he decided "why not now?"

"My Quirk is called Brainwashing, it allows me to force anyone to do anything I want them to, as long as it's simple," Shinso answered. He waited for the inevitable 'that's a villain's Quirk' speech.

"Oh my God, that sounds so cool, Shinso!" the greenette gushed out, wishing he had his notebook on him. "Your Quirk has amazing potential! Can you make someone forget something?! Like their name?! Can you make someone behave completely differently?! How about-"

"Wait, you…don't think I'm a villain? You don't think I'm…evil?" Shinso asked, incredulous. Was this some elaborate trick to hurt his feelings? But then why did Midoriya look so…honest and full of awe?

"What?! No, I don't you're a villain or evil," Midoriya shook his hands in front of him. "Why would I think that?"

"Everyone has told me my whole life that my Quirk is villainous. Even my parents are afraid of me."

"Hmm, I don't think any Quirk is villainous, just the people themselves. Do you think you're a villain?" Midoriya asked.

"I...no, I don't think so," he stuttered out.

"Then you're not a villain, Shinso," Izuku gave him a smile as he walked out of the room, leaving behind a stunned happy teen in his wake.

**Day Two, Tuesday, 11:00 PM**  
After getting taught by Pro Heroes for four hours, the class of 1-A were finally on their lunch break before their Hero Basic Training course. Midoriya fanboyed out when he discovered that the Pro Hero Lunch Rush would be cooking their meals. After a smile and a thumbs-up, Midoriya got his food (katsudon) while Uraraka got her favorite (mochi).

After finding a seat together, they got to talking. "Enjoying school so far?" Uraraka asked, taking a bite of her food. As soon as it hit her tongue, she made a happy expression.

"It's pretty amazing so far, besides getting knocked out by Kacchan," Midoriya somberly said.

"What's with that guy anyways? And why does he call you 'Deku'?" Uraraka asked, taking another bite out of her delicious food.

"Me and Kacchan have a…complicated 'friendship'. We used to be friends, until he found out I was Quirkless. Since then, I've been bullied for most of my life by him. That was, until I got my Quirk. Suddenly, he wanted to hang out with me again. Still being an asshole, but still," Midoriya paused, taking a drink of his soda. "Then, after I save both of our lives, he ignores me for ten straight months. As for the whole 'Deku' thing, that's his nickname for me. Let me show you," Izuku pulled out a pen and some paper from his backpack. "So, this is my name," on the paper is his name in kanji, "but the character for 'izu' can also be pronounced as 'de', which gets you 'Deku', which is short for 'dekunobou', or good for nothing." As he put the pen down, a frown appeared on Midoriya's face, slightly ruining the happiness from the katsudon.

"But can't the word 'Deku' also be short for 'dekiru', which means to be able to do something?" Uraraka gave a thoughtful smile as she questioned Midoriya.

In that moment, the nickname Deku changed forever within Izuku's mind. "Y-you're right! I never thought about it that way! Thank you, Uraraka!" Midoriya's whole mood lifted. The gravity girl's blush grew darker, feeling slightly embarrassed at the praise, and oddly…butterflies in her stomach.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting anything," came a tired voice behind Midoriya. Turning around, Shinso was standing behind him holding his plate of food (rice and fish). He had a sheepish look on his face, his head turned to the side. "But…can I eat with you guys?"

"Of course, Shinso! Come eat with us!" After the tired teen sat down, they had a heated/fun conversation about who would win in a fight: All Might or Superman. Shinso and Uraraka were both on the Krytonian's side, while Midoriya was rooting for All Might.

**12:04 PM**  
Everyone in class 1-A was waiting in excited silence. Today was their first Hero Basic Training course, but Mr. Aizawa was not there yet to start the lesson. Before anyone could start to worry if Aizawa forgot about them, they all heard the door slam open, with each and every head whipping in the process to try to see. Immediately, their faces glowed with happiness.

"I am coming through the door like a normal person!" came the voice of the number one Pro Hero All Might. With his signature smile on his face, All Might wore a slightly outdated red, blue, and yellow costume with a cape flowing behind him.

"W-wow, it's All Might!"

"He really is a teacher!"

"That's the costume from the Silver Age, right, _ribbit_?" came the voice of the froglike girl, Tsuyu. The Pro Hero marched into the room dramatically, before directing his gaze to the girl and giving a nod.

"I teach Hero Basic Training. This subject is to help students like yourselves to learn the basics of what it takes to be a hero," All Might announced in a heroic pose. "You'll be doing a lot of activities, more so than any other class. Today, however, we're doing something easy: Combat training!" Bakugo got a scary smile on his face as soon as he heard that, while Shinso just looked up at the ceiling and swore internally before sighing like he usually does. "And you can't train to be a hero without a costume, can you?" All Might asked before pulling out a button from his pocket then pressing on it. A hissing noise came from the corner of the room closest to the Pro Hero, with certain parts of the wall coming out with numbered suitcases.

"I assume all of you know your numbers. After you change, gather in Ground Beta!" As soon as he finished saying that, he ran off to the battle grounds.

**12:20 PM**  
"They say the clothes make the man, and I can assure all of you that saying is correct!" The Pro Hero happily yelled. There were a lot of unique and cool costumes, such as Bakugo's 'fake' grenades on his arms, or Iida's suit of armor that was very similar to his brother, Iida Tensei.

As everyone walked out, Midoriya was realizing he made a horrible mistake: His costume was just…dull when compared to them. When Izuku designed his costume three weeks ago all he thought about was convenience and functionality. His costume (if you could even call it that) was a purplish green tracksuit, with a healthy amount of white in certain areas. The inside of the tracksuit was orange, however. Besides being laced with bullet-resistant and knife-resistant armor, a belt that held both eye drops for when his eyes were strained and a collapsible metal spear, it was nothing special. The worst part was that the most important aesthetic part of his costume wasn't even correct. Midoriya specifically wrote down that he wanted an orange 'M' over his heart; of course they would fuck it up and gave him a 'N' instead.

Joining the rest of his classmates, All Might began to explain what they were doing today, "For today's exercise, you all will be spilt into teams of two, one being heroes and one being the villains. The villain's goal is to protect their stolen nuclear bomb inside a multi-level building, either by fighting off all the heroes or by waiting till the match is over. The heroes goal is to steal back the bomb or defeat all the villains. Stealing it back entails just touching it," the Pro Hero clarified. "The teams and opponents will be decided by drawing lots!"

 _"Makes sense, as most Pros don't get to decide their teammate when they respond to an emergency,"_ Midoriya thought. After everyone drew a lot, Midoriya was paired with Shinso. Both of them were the heroes facing against Bakugo and Iida, the villains.

**12:40 PM**  
After a couple of battles, it was now Midoriya's team vs. Bakugo's team. As the two heroes waited outside the building, Midoriya began to make a plan with Shinso.

"Alright, Shinso, I want to handle Bakugo, is that okay with you?" the greenette asked.

"It's not like he'd respond to me anyways because I already revealed my Quirk, so I guess I'll handle Iida. What's your Quirk anyways? Is it some type of strength Quirk?" the tired teen asked, yawning afterwards.

"I have the ability to control the gravity of any object or person with my eyes, hands, or feet," Izuku responded.

Shinso's eyes widened, _"That sounds a little overpowered."_

"However, I've already decided to not use my Quirk at a distance from Bakugo. I want to see if I can outsmart him, not outquirk him," he said with a determined glint in his eyes. With a nod from his partner, the both of them walked inside when they were allowed to. For first five minutes as they sneaked around, they found no one.

"DIE, DEKU!" came the shout of the murderous teen, running at full sprint at Midoriya. Before he could receive a right hook to the face, Shinso pushed him out of the way, and got it instead. A horrified and angry expression fell upon Midoriya's face. Getting into a battle stance, Izuku waited for the right time to strike.

Bakugo's smile grew even larger before he lunged at the remaining teen. Right before he landed the punch, however, Midoriya activated his gravity Quirk, grabbed Kacchan's right arm, made the teen lighter, then threw him into the ground. With the wind knocked out of him, Bakugo was equal parts amazed, pissed off, and somewhat proud.

"You didn't think I studied you every time you bullied me? You always start off a fight with a right hook, without fail. I have several strategies on how to beat you on a one on one fight in a notebook you once burned," Midoriya said, feeling proud that his plan worked.

 _"I burnt a notebook of his? I don't remember doing that…"_ Bakugo thought, confused. As soon as Midoriya turned away to check on his dizzy partner, Kacchan decided to rush him.

Acting on instinct, Izuku caught the first, then the second hand of Bakugo. A metal CLANG was heard, but neither teen could check what it was. While clearly stronger, the explosive teen made no move to overpower Izuku. With a deranged smile, Bakugo activated his Quirk.

A painful scream came rushing out of Midoriya's throat, feeling the scorching burns being etched onto his palms. Before he could do anything, Midoriya watched as Bakugo slumped over, falling to the floor. Behind him was Shinso holding Izuku's metal spear (with no blood on it). "You okay?" the purple-haired teen asked. With a nod, the two teens easily found the bomb and stopped the evil Iida (with a single 'hello' from Shinso) from destroying a small city.

**Day Three, Wednesday, 3:34 PM**  
All day, Midoriya was worried about Kacchan. The blonde stayed in his room for the entire day, saying he was 'sick'. So after school was done and over with, Midoriya went to knock on his door, wincing when he touch his burns, but noticed it was ajar. Stepping inside the dark room, he saw the form of Bakugo on his bed facing away from the door. He was hugging his legs to his chest.

"Kacch-"

"You didn't use your Quirk to the fullest extent. Why?" came the tired voice of the explosive teen.

Shocked, Midoriya responded a little too honestly, "It would've been too easy, and I wanted to see if I could outsmart you, not-"

"So…the fuckin' Deku, you, of all people, held back?" Bakugo asked, a dangerous edge to his voice. "I agreed with the pony hair girl after you beat me that an outright assault would be a bad idea. I realized that if I fought ice boy I would lose. I agreed with an extra, of all people! I thought I would lose to an extra! I was beaten by an extra, a bug! An insignificant pebble that I could kick around, you beat me, of all people!" Kacchan turned around, showing angry tears coming down his face. "JUST GO THE FUCK AWAY, ALREADY!" Bakugo cried, pushing out the greenette and slamming the door shut.

**Day Four, Thursday, 7:00 PM**  
With the day over (and after psyching himself up), Midoriya went and knocked on his favorite friend's door.

"Oh, what'cha doing here, Izu?" Uraraka politely asked.

"'Izu'?" Midoriya was both embarrassed and surprised by the nickname.

"I-I mean Midoriya! I'm sorry I-"

"No! I mean, I like it!" Midoriya and Uraraka both had deep blushes on their face. "I-um, wouldyouliketogoonadatewithme?!" Midoriya quickly said, worried she'd reject him.

"Y-you want to go on a date…with me?" Uraraka hesitantly asked, the butterflies coming back.

"On S-Sunday." Midoriya swallowed, hoping against reality that she would say yes.

"I want to!" They were both surprised, neither one expecting that answer. After a quick goodnight, Midoriya walked away with a stupid grin on his face. As he was going back to his room, Izuku swore he saw something small watching him.

**Day Five, Friday, 9:26 PM**  
"Look, all I'm saying is to just be yourself, bro. As far as I know, any girl would fall for you for how manly you were a couple days back," Kirishima casually said, accidentally driving his character off the cliff.

A vast majority of the boys were in Kaminari's room playing games. After Midoriya sheepishly asked Kirishima if he knew any first date tips, the redhead called an 'emergency meeting' in the electric teen's room.

"Yeah, like he said, be yourself. Just don't forget to watch what you wear," Shinso yawned out. He was just watching the games with Izuku and Iida, as he was banned from all group gaming sessions.

"You cannot fraternize with another classmate, Midoriya! We are here to learn, not to make out!" Iida objected, his hands and arms moving very quickly and rigidly in all directions.

"How do you have so much energy, Iida?" Shinso asked, jealous that the other had (seemingly) boundless amounts of it.

"Midoriya, you heard Iida, no making out with this 'mystery girl'. Everything else is fair game, though," Kaminari said with a devilish grin as he won the race.

"Grow up. All you have to do is make a good first impression," Tokoyami disciplined before getting ready for the next virtual race.

They kept giving advice for hours after; not sleeping until 3:00 AM.

**Day Six, Saturday, 11:00 AM**  
_"The cafeteria smells differently today,"_ Midoriya observed. After getting into line and getting to the food, he was stopped suddenly by Lunch Rush when he was about to grab some katsudon.

"U-um, Midoriya Izuku, right?" Lunch Rush nervously asked the greenette.

"Yeah, is something wrong, Lunch Rush?" Izuku asked worriedly.

"Someone already got you a meal."

"Wait, what?"

"The person told me to tell you that it's from a 'secret admirer'. Here you go," Lunch Rush presented a bento box, wrapped in a nice lime green cloth. After warily accepting it, Lunch Rush hurriedly walked off.

After sitting down, Midoriya looked in all directions, trying to see if any of them was the admirer. After a few seconds of hesitation, he began to eat the standard looking rice, steamed vegetables, and chicken. _"Not bad,"_ Midoriya thought.

**5:43 PM**  
One quick trip to the convenience store for some mouthwash and deodorant later, Izuku was walking back to the dorms when he saw a tiny black bald dog.

"Aww, you poor thing," Midoriya reached out with his left hand to pet the dog. "Do you need some help-owwww!" The dog dug its teeth and broke through Midoriya's skin. After it let go, it growled before running away.

**11:00 PM**  
Izuku was laying on his bed, unable to sleep. He felt way too excited to sleep. He was going on a date tomorrow! How could he sleep?!

Sighing, he closed his eyes, and began to count. "One Uraraka, two Uraraka, three Uraraka, four Uraraka, five Uraraka…"

Midoriya Izuku fell asleep, ready for a new day.

 ********************  
Deku opened his eyes, seeing the familiar beige ceiling above him. Midoriya had a slight headache, but he could care less about that. Today was his date with-

"Young Midoriya, I see that you've awoken."

Izuku snapped open his eyes, forgetting his slight tiredness. He slowly turned his head in fear, seeing All Might and Principal Nezu sitting by his bed

"Young Midoriya, are you alright?" the Pro Hero asked, but it fell on deaf ears.

_"The burns…they're gone…"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me if this chapter has pacing/writing issues.  
> If you readers have a moment, I’d like to read whether you’d rather have a chapter on schedule but I have to fix it over the days, or have a chapter take longer, but it’s more likely to be better proofread. I’d like to read what you think.  
>   
> Continuation of edit 3-6-21: I can only hope that no one read my story when I made my fuck-up. I'm an embarrassment as an author.


	7. The Second First Week at U.A.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midoriya's back in bed. It's Monday, the first day of school, again. What happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m changing the schedule to Monday and Friday on odd weeks, but only Wednesday on even weeks.  
> By the way, I’m buffing Shinso’s Quirk, and maybe others Quirks in the future, as it's a little too weak in my opinion. It all depends on how I want the story to go.

**Day One, Monday, 4:00 PM**  
"Midoriya, what's wrong?" Principal Nezu asked his student. After calling down All Might to see if their student was suspicious (and less importantly okay), the teen just woke up fine, but as soon as he saw them, went straight into fear. _"Very suspicious, indeed,"_ Nezu thought as he filed that information away for later. Midoriya kept looking at the palms of his shaky hands, as if expecting them to change.

"Young Midoriya, are you alright?" came the voice of the Pro Hero. Midoriya's head turned to look at them, fear evident in his eyes. After a couple of seconds, a grin adorned his face.

"O-oh, sorry to worry you, All Might and Principal Nezu! I guess Kacchan's kick did a number on me!" the teen admitted as he scratched his head, the lie tasting sour in his throat.

"I'm impressed, Young Midoriya, as none of the students have guessed that I was their principal. Would you kindly tell me how you know?" Nezu's smile had a hint of suspicion that went unnoticed by Izuku, who was currently sweating bullets on account of his mistake.

"I-I read that you were the principal online, sir!" he truthfully lied. In all honesty, he _did_ read that Nezu was the principal during lunch last(?) week, so it wasn't completely wrong.

"Hmm, I see. All Might, let the boy rest. We should take our leave."

Before Midoriya could say anything, they already left his room. Walking through the halls, All Might asked, "So, what did you find out about him?"

"Oh so much. Three things: he's scared, confused, and a shitty actor. All three makes him even more suspicious," Nezu cackled, excited about what he could do to crush the boy. "And so much more interesting."

****************  
His room was back in his boxes again. His All Might action figures/posters were off his wall/non-existent shelves. Midoriya didn't understand in the slightest. _"Why am I back? How did I die? Who killed me?"_

Obviously, Izuku's questions weren't answered. Taking a deep breath, Midoriya decided to forgo remaking his room for now, instead deciding to retrace his steps and went to the common room.

"Hey, bro! It's Midoriya, right?" Kirishima asked, a big toothy smile on his face.

"Kirishima?! What's up?" Izuku asked as casually as he could, knowing what he was going to ask.

"You remember my name from earlier? That's super manly! You want to play Immortal Combat with us?"

"Hell yeah!" The two teens walked into the common room, but Midoriya noticed it was only the two of them. "Where's Kaminari?"

"I was just going to get him. How'd you know that?" Kirishima asked as he scratched his head in confusion.

"I have…good intuition," Midoriya hesitatingly answered. After rounding up Momo, Uraraka, Tsuyu, Kaminari, Shinso, and Bakugo, they were about to start the tournament before Izuku asked an important question: "Are we allowed to use our Quirks?" Everyone looked at Midoriya oddly, especially Shinso, who glared at him with a curious glint in his lilac eyes.

"How the fuck would any of our Quirks help us in a game, Deku?!" Bakugo shouted, irritated that he couldn't beat the shit out of the nerd (in-game, of course).

"W-well, I have the a-ability to control gravity, which could allow me to move your controller..." he admitted, hoping one of them would realize what he was leading them to

"Hold up, bro. That'd be cheating, and that ain't manly at all. I'm in favor with Midoriya for using no Quirks. Even if it can't affect the game. Everyone cool with that?" Kirishima asked, but his tone left little to argue about. With a yes from everyone, Shinso sighed as he just lost his one and only ace up his sleeve.

After a fierce couple of rounds, it was Shinso vs. Kaminari (again). They chose their best fighters, and with a long sigh, the tired teen said, "Let the best man win."

"I'm gonna wipe the floor with you!" the electric teen arrogantly shouted. In terms of skill, they were a near match. In terms of knowing where the environmental hazards were, Kaminari excelled.

After a tense two minutes, the energetic teen stood up in a victory pose as soon as he heard the announcer say, **"YOU WIN!"**

"Yes!" came the excited cry of Kaminari. He did a little dance which looked more like a desperate cry for help than a victory. Once done showing how loony he was Denki looked at the boys. "Pay time!"

As the boys gave him the money, Hitoshi tried to slip away until Midoriya, once again, stopped him. "Hey, Shinso…you okay?" Izuku asked, worried.

"How'd you know?" the tired teen deadpanned as he scratched his hair, trying his best to hide his seething anger.

"Know what?" the greenette questioned, hoping his acting wasn't too bad,

"My Quirk, damn it! You somehow knew my Quirk, uh, what's your name again?" Shinso asked innocently.

"Oh, it's fine. My name is Midoriya Izu-" he stopped mid-sentence as his eyes glazed over. His mind, however, was working just fine. _"What the hell?! I can't move, I can't speak!"_ Midoriya felt trapped, restrained in his own damn body by a disembodied Shinso.

"Everything you say will be the truth. You cannot-" Suddenly, within Midoriya's own mindscape came a featureless feminine-looking figure, with long purplish black hands reaching out towards the intruder. As soon as the hands touched the disembodied Shinso, it knocked him out of Midoriya's head.

With a deep breath of air, Izuku shouted, "I'm back!"

"How the hell did you break out of my Quirk?!" the purple-haired teen shouted, confused ten ways to Sunday. No one has ever broken out of his brainwashing unless they got hurt.

"I have no idea," he answered honestly. _"What was that? It was almost like a guardian angel. No, that's not right...more like a guardian demon?"_ he thought to himself, slightly shaking from what happened in his head.

With a huff, the tired teen walked off angrily, leaving Midoriya remorseful that he didn't become friends with the teen.

**6:00 PM**  
The Department of Support is a wonderful section of the school. An entire three classes dedicated to solely helping heroes be better than they already were. At least, that's how Midoriya viewed it. Standing before the big metal door Izuku knocked before he opened it, hoping that someone (anyone) would be there to help him with his problem.

"Stand still, please!" came a manic voice. Before he could even look or react, Midoriya heard the sound of a gun shooting something and before he knew it, he was hanging upside down on the ceiling.

"What the hell?!" came his bewildered response, blood rushing to his head. A girl with salmon pink hair in thick dreadlocks and yellow eyes with crosses in them came walking towards Izuku, with a huge smile on her face. She was holding a heavily modified futuristic-looking harpoon gun.

"It worked! First try! Thank you so much, stranger," the girl pressed a button on the side of her harpoon gun, and immediately Midoriya was released, falling on his head. "So, what's your name?" she asked the groaning student.

"Owww…it's Midoriya Izuku. I take it that you work in here?" he asked as he stood up, rubbing his head.

"Yes, I'm a student!" she proudly stated. "Hatsume Mei, at your service! What brings you to my shop? Oh! Do you want to make babies with me while you're here?!" Hatsume asked excitedly, getting uncomfortably close to him as she said that, her breasts touching Midoriya's chest.

Growing cherry tomato red at her question and especially the close contact, Midoriya activated his gravity Quirk and made himself hit the ceiling as soon as possible.

"N-no no no no no! I-I'm not-Uraraka is the only girl for me, I'm sorry! And I can't have kids yet, I'm too young!" Midoriya stammered, his heart beating threatening to break out of his body.

"Oh cool, your eyes can change color! And who said anything about kids? Oh…this is what Power Loader meant! I was asking if you wanted to, _ahem_ , make inventions with me?" Hatsume corrected herself.

"Who calls their inventions 'babies'?!" Midoriya asked, incredulous at the girl.

Tapping her feet together, Hatsume's boots suddenly sprang up to meet Izuku on the ceiling. "Well, I'm their mother since I created them. Which makes them my babies!" Mei clarified, an inch or two away from giving the greenette an Eskimo kiss. "What's your Quirk by the way? Can you fly or something?"

"C-can you please b-back away a bit?" Izuku couldn't take much more of this until he got a nosebleed, or worse...

"Why? Am I too close?" Hatsume innocently asked.

"YES!" he immediately answered. After she lowered her springs a bit so they were good, he continued. "Kind of? I can manipulate how gravity works with my mind."

"That's amazing! You'd be a great partner if you helped me in here. Tell you what: If you help me out from time to time I'll, in return, put you on top of my list whenever you have a request," Hatsume suggested, excitement and hope coursing through her being.

Seeing an opportunity, Midoriya said, "I'll only do that if you make me an invention right here, right now."

"Oooh, you're on! What type of baby do you need, Greenhead?! A jet pack? A personalized helmet? Oh, maybe zooming goggles?!"

"I j-just want an invention that detects poison," Izuku lamely stuttered out, hoping this eccentric girl could help him.

"Paranoid much? Ah, whatever, I'm not going to look a gift horse in its mouth!" With that said, Hatsume disengaged her spring boots and got to work immediately, much to Midoriya's relief. After hesitantly getting back on the ground, he watched as Mei ran around, grabbing materials here and there. After a short ten minutes, she wiped her forehead and presented what Izuku presumed to be the invention. "I call this the 'Death Detector'! It can tell if any liquid or food has a poison in it. Only flaw is that that it can't detect Quirk-related poisons, but it will tell you if it can't identify it. Is this good enough for you, Greenhead?" Mei asked, hopeful.

"That's perfect! You're literally a life savior!" Midoriya grabbed the device from her hand, then gave Hatsume Mei a big hug. She blushed, ironically being embarrassed by the close embrace. After disentangling themselves, he continued, "You seriously don't know how much this means to me. Thank you!" Izuku bowed.

"I-it's no big deal! Besides, why would anyone want to poison you?" Mei asked, her heart beating a hundred miles a minute.

"That's a very good question, one I would like answered. Well, you did as I asked, and I'm a man of my word, so do you need any help right now?"

"I-I-um, no?" Mei said, for the first time in her life she was tongue tied.

"All right, then! Goodnight, Hatsume! And thanks again!" Midoriya gave a brief wave with a smile on his face as he left the room.

All alone in the workshop, for the very first time in her life Hatsume didn't immediately get back to work. Instead, she pondered why her heart skipped a beat every time she thought about Midoriya.

**Day Two, Tuesday, 11:03 PM**  
The smell of the cafeteria was normal once again, much to Izuku's relief. He got his plate of food, which consisted of rice and pork chops and went to his regular seat, seeing that Uraraka was already eating there. _"I guess some things stay the same across time,"_ Midoriya happily thought. After a quick greeting, they got to talking.

"So, what's going to be your hero name? Mine is probably going to be Uravity," Uraraka spoke, chewing on her mochi.

"Hmm, I think my hero name should be Deku," Izuku replied, taking a bite of his delicious pork chop.

"You mean that name the blonde boy calls you? What does 'Deku' even mean?" Ochaco asked, perplexed.

"It used to be short for 'dekunobou', but one day a friend told me it could also be short for 'dekiru'," Izuku explained, remembering what she said that day.

"Aww! That friend sounds amazing, are you guys still friends?!" Ochaco asked, happy that Midoriya has such a good friend.

Izuku gave a sad smile before saying, "Yeah, we're definitely still friends, you probably even know the person," he cheekily added.

"What?! No way. Who are they?!"

"Not telling!" Midoriya stuck out his tongue in a humorous manner. With a pout, Uraraka got back to eating, earning a chuckle from the both of them.

**12:25 PM**  
Back in his costume and out in the urban city, the greenette and his peers each grabbed a lot to determine whether they were on a hero or villain team.

The greenette walked over to Shinso, who tried to ignore him. "You do know we're on the same team, right?"

"First, fuck off, Midoriya. Second, did you even read your lot? I'm already on a team with Bakugo," the tired teen briskly said, walking away from the hurt teen.

 _"He…really doesn't like me this time. That…hurts,"_ Izuku thought sadly. Shaking his head he realized that everyone's team were random. Instead of being on Team A, Midoriya was now on Team F with Uraraka. Not that he was complaining, of course. And unlike last time, Midoriya's team (hero) was up first against Bakugo and Shinso's team (villain).

After discussing their plan of attack, Midoriya and Uraraka decided to go stealth throughout the building, the former secretly knowing where the 'bomb' already was. Five minutes go by with no sign of either Bakugo or Shinso. Midoriya felt something was off about this. Once they entered the room where the bomb should be, they were met with quite a sight: Shinso was sitting on a 'throne', made out of boxes. Bakugo stood in front of the aforementioned teen, like a guard dog.

"Halt! No one goes near the boss without express permission!" Kacchan shouted, shocking Midoriya and Uraraka.

The hero team looked at each other, and at the same time said, "Brainwashing."

With a slow clap coming from the tired teen, he yawned. "Bravo. Bakugo, go get-" Before Shinso could even finish his sentence, the personal gravity of Bakugo increased by ten, forcing him down to the ground as it knocked him out of the mind control.

"YOU FUCKER! I'M GOING TO FUCKIN' END YOU, EYEBAGS!" Kacchan shouted, both enraged that he had to talk like that, and secretly relieved that Midoriya saved him.

Knowing that they couldn't win, Shinso (and a mind controlled Bakugo after he wouldn't concede) gave up, giving Midoriya and Uraraka the win.

**Day Three, Wednesday, 3:30 PM**  
 _"Well, this is different,"_ Deku thought happily. Unlike last week (or should it be last time?), Bakugo wasn't in a shit mood from losing to Midoriya's team. _"But what changed it? Was it the fact I went all out?"_ Izuku pondered silently to himself.

**Day Four, Thursday, 7:00 PM**  
Midoriya was on his phone, the glow illuminating his face. He was checking out popular places to take a date out to. He hadn't asked out Uraraka yet, but Izuku knew he should scope out possible places.

**Day Five, Friday, 4:00 PM  
** Midoriya and the boys were having another video game fighting tournament (with no money on the table). For the first time, Midoriya beat Kacchan, Kirishima, and Shinso; he even got close to beating Kaminari.

**Day Six, Saturday, 11:00 AM**  
Midoriya's nerves were shaken to the core. Death Detector in his back pocket, he was finally going to find out if that damned bento box from his 'secret admirer' was poisoned or not. After accepting the food from the odd acting Lunch Rush, Midoriya Izuku sat down, opened the box, and was greeted with the delicious smell. Removing the Death Detector, he took out the syringe and stuck it in the food.

One. Two. Three. Four.

A beat chimed from the chrome colored device. If the screen was green, it was poisoned. Red, and it wasn't. Finally, the moment of truth:

The display was green. The food that someone had gifted him, was poisoned. "I WAS RIGHT!" Midoriya stood up, and cheered in a victory pose across the entire cafeteria.

Silence echoed, and after noticing the mistake he made, Izuku fake coughed then grabbed his bento box and Death Detector. His destination? The principal's office.

**11:10 PM**  
"While I find it quite odd that you even have such a specific device, it clearly is vexing that someone in this very school was trying to kill you, Midoriya. Have you any idea who would do this?" Nezu asked, his paws roaming over the invention. It was clearly made in a rush, not to mention it was a fire hazard on account of a lot of corners being cut to make it. _"If this thing was used one more time it would've probably blown up."_

"None, sir. I'm just glad I didn't eat it," Izuku chuckled, unconvincingly.

"Don't worry, Midoriya. I'll look into it for you. I'll also assign you a Pro Hero to guard your room for the night."

Like a weight falling off his shoulders, Midoriya breathed easy for the first time that week.

**11:50 PM**  
Izuku sat on his bed, trying his best to stay awake. All the lights were on, and only one window was open to keep him cool. Midoriya rationalized that he can't die in his sleep if he never fell asleep in the first place.

Sound logic, at least to him.

With five minutes left on the clock, Midoriya kept looking at it, wanting it to be the next day.

The lights suddenly turned off, a hand slapped his mouth shut; a knife dug into his throat, with a bit of blood trickling out. "Scream, and you die, my love," a soft, gentle feminine voice warned. "Use your Quirk, and Uraraka dies once I escape. I'm going to remove my hand, now."

"W-who are you? W-why are doing this?!" Midoriya whispered, scared out of his mind.

"I can't tell you the first part, my darling, but I can tell you this is out of love. I wanted you to feel my love in your sleep, but I guess I have to do it myself," the unknown intruder whispered, before slicing further into Midoriya's neck.

He tried to scream in pain, from the absolute agony he was feeling, but his vocal cords were shot. Izuku was pushed to the floor on his back. No matter how hard he tried, his gravity Quirk wouldn't activate.

"If you're wondering, the knife was coated in a Quirk-suppressant and paralyzing liquids."

Taking her knife, she slowly began to cut through Izuku's left shoulder. The pain was unbearable, indescribable. The deeper it went, the more his nerves cried for him to do something, anything. But Midoriya could only lay there, bleeding out, unable to move, feeling helpless and angry at himself for letting this happen to him. The greenette hated how powerless he felt, how all his effort this past week was all for naught. The only thing he could do was watch her sadistic and obsessed smile grow larger and larger. Her red eyes creepily held a twisted sort of love.

That's when the knife struck his bone, the sound was horrible, worse than he could have ever imagined. When she realized she couldn't cut through it, she put one of her shoes on his chest, and pulled with all her might. At first, it sounded as if he was merely cracking his arm, until he heard them break. With a sickening CRACK, his arm came free.

With his consciousness fading, Izuku heard the last words he'd ever hear in that life: "I love you so much, Izu.

"So much, that only I can have you…"


	8. The Third First Week of U.A.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midoriya wakes up from a 'nightmare'.

**Day One, Monday, 4:00 PM**  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Midoriya Izuku screamed loudly as he thrashed on his bed, writhing to his left and right. He sat up rigidly and suddenly, breathing in deep sporadic breaths. His eyes were wide and crazed, as if he had saw a horror no one else had. He touched his left arm quickly, an audible sigh of relief coming out when he confirmed it was still there. "My arm. It's back. I'm back…" Izuku whispered out, still shocked what happened to him. But it didn't matter anymore. He was back, and he was **safe**.

Midoriya turned his head to the left, seeing the concerned looks coming from All Might and Principal Nezu. They were several feet farther than they usually were. "Young Midoriya…are you okay?" the Number one Pro Hero asked, now genuinely worried for the boy.

"I forgot, I haven't talked to you two yet today," Izuku mumbled, which Nezu heard with keen interest. The boy stood up in his bed abruptly and shouted, "I'm sorry for the commotion I've caused! It was a very vivid…nightmare," Deku's eyes darkened at the last word, gulping loudly in nervousness.

"It must have been some nightmare, Young Midoriya. May we know what happened in it?" the principal asked in rapt attention.

Midoriya sat down on his bed as he recalled his 'nightmare' aloud, "I had a…nightmare where I lost my arm. It was being cut off, _torn_ off from my dying body. I could feel the individual muscles and tendons snapping apart, my bones creaking and groaning under the pressure that it was taking. I could feel every nerve screaming at me to stop it from happening, but I was powerless to do so... the sound of the knife hitting my bones sounded…indescribable," Izuku recounted, shivering near the end of his 'story'.

"...Young Midoriya, that's one of the most accurate descriptions of losing an arm that I've ever heard, from a teenager no less. It's almost as if you had lost an arm that way from the way you just described it," Nezu uneasily informed him, both intrigued and slightly horrified by the teen's accuracy.

"That's o-odd," Midoriya chuckled nervously, it sounding fake even to him, "as that's never happened to me before."

"Nezu, I believe we should take our leave," All Might suggested. With a sympathetic nod from the chimera, the two of them left the greenette alone.

 _"That…hurt. In ways I can't even articulate,"_ Midoriya thought, absolutely terrified that his 'admirer' killed him. _"How the hell did she get into my room? I only had my window open, and that's squeaky as fuck…"_

As Izuku recalled the events leaving up to his last death, he felt the familiar feeling of foreignness in his body. _"A new Quirk?"_ The color of this third string felt like it was jet black, almost like it was smooth to the touch. With a shuddering breath, he closed his eyes tightly, then pulled on it.

Nothing happened. He opened his eyes slowly in confusion and tried again. Nothing happened. Izuku began to pace around his room, trying to get the damned thing to work to no avail. As he activated his Quirk again over the shadow of his chair, Midoriya suddenly and without warning fell into it, hitting his chin against the floor before falling in completely.

He was now in an endless abyss of nothingness; nothing to grab, nothing to see, and no air to breathe. He kicked and squirmed with no purpose, his instincts telling his body that it had to at least _try_. As he slowly began to suffocate to death, Midoriya's final thought was how similar this was to his second death and how Kacchan died that time.

******************  
Bakugo Katsuki was a simple teen. After all that bullshit with Deku he decided to try to calm himself (and suppress the guilt) by working out in his new dorm room. He was currently on his hundredth push-up, sweating up a storm when out of nowhere Midoriya appeared beneath him out of his shadow.

An awkward silence permeated throughout the room, with both of their noses touching, like that of an Eskimo Kiss. Their eyes were both in shock but Midoriya was breathing very hard, as if he wasn't breathing before. "HOW THE FUCK DID YOU GET IN MY ROOM, DEKU?!" Bakugo screamed violently, scrambling away in disgust ad surprise.

"I-I have no idea! I just pulled on one of my new strings-I mean, I felt some new power and…" Midoriya trailed off, not wanting to sound crazy in front of his friend.

Kacchan, wide-eyed, shouted, "You got another Quirk?! How?!"

"I-I…" Midoriya stopped suddenly, not wanting to continue the horror story that was sure to come out.

"Screw that! What does it do?!" Bakugo asked, excitement on his face.

After mulling over it for a good ten seconds Izuku theorized, "Based on the events leading up to me being here…I think I can travel through shadows."

With a slight 'O' face, Kacchan urged, "Don't keep me in suspense, test it out!" Hesitantly, Midoriya walked over to the shadow of Bakugo's desk. Activating his new Quirk, he dipped his foot into the shadow.

It passed through.

"Holy shit!" they both said simultaneously. After some deliberation, Midoriya took a deep breath and decided to just dive in once again. Submerged once again in the endless abyss, Izuku tried to figure out how he did it last time. _"Before I nearly passed out, I thought of Kacchan…so do I need to think of someplace or someone?"_ Wanting to test his theory (and more importantly live), Midoriya thought of the first thing that came to his mind: Uraraka Ochaco.

*******************  
Uraraka was sitting on her bed in her partially dark room, intently watching an anime about the entirety of humans becoming stone statues. Just before it got to the good part, Midoriya pulled himself out of the shadow of the T.V.

"AAAAAAAH!" she screamed, thinking she was alone.

"I-I'm so, so sorry, Uraraka! I-I-I-I got a new Quirk, and then I tested it out, and then-" he was abruptly cut off by an excited gasp from his crush.

"You-how…you got a new Quirk?! That's unheard of!" Uraraka gushed, as excited as Bakugo. "What can it do?!"

"I-I can travel through shadows," he stuttered out.

"Can you bring people or objects with you?!" she asked, curiosity with a small hint of envy in her eyes.

"Why don't we t-test it, then?" Izuku tried calmly to say, holding out his hand.

*******************  
Kacchan was nervously tapping his foot. The nerd left two minutes ago, and he was really considering getting a teacher if Deku didn't return soon.

Not that he cared, of course. Which is why when the nerd did return with Pink Cheeks with him he breathed out a silent sigh of relief. "Took ya fuckin' long enough, Deku! What were you two doing, making out or somethin'?" Bakugo teased.

"N-n-no no! It's not like that! We're just friends!" Pink Cheeks clarified. Unbeknownst to them, Deku's heart shattered into a billion pieces upon hearing that.

 _KNOCK KNOCK_. "Bakubro? You in there? Me and some of the other bros are doing a tournament of Immortal Combat, you want in?" asked the muffled-voiced Kirishima.

 **Some time later**  
After a tense 15 minutes, it was Midoriya against Kaminari. Izuku had analyzed Bakugo, Shinso, and Kirishima's play styles, so he finally defeated them in this loop. The biggest trial, however, was the aforementioned Kaminari.

With a deep breath, Midoriya controlled his character as well as he could. One minute and thirty seconds passed, and the victor was decided.

 **"YOU WIN!"** Izuku dropped the controller in disbelief: he did it.

"Good job, bro!" the red head congratulated him, almost everyone joining in after. Bakugo narrowed his eyes, _"Since when was he this good? And he also got a new Quirk…he was also acting suspicious on that day, too."_

**Day Two, Tuesday, 3:23 AM**  
"Why the hell am I not out patrolling, Nezu?" Aizawa asked, slouching down on the comfortable couch he was on. The chimera had his signature smile on his scarred face as he looked down at his tablet, looking clearly pleased with himself.

"Now now, Aizawa. All I have for you is a question: How many Quirks does Midoriya Izuku have?"

"You mean Problem Child? And what do you mean by 'Quirks'? It's one," he deadpanned. Is this what was so important to interrupt his patrol? Well...more so his nap but still.

"I have reason to believe that isn't true, observe." Nezu offered the tablet to Eraserhead, the man taking it with a sigh. It started normally enough, as normal as it was to watch a teenager sleep. Before Aizawa could even raise an eyebrow, Nezu said it was for 'security reasons'. As the video went on, the eye-strained hero made comments here and there.

"This kid clearly has some type of PTSD…that's some shitty lying…what the?" The Pro had finally gotten to the part where Midoriya literally fell through a shadow. "The hell happened?"

"He can travel through shadows," Nezu answered simply.

Massaging the bridge of his nose, the Pro Hero gave out a tired sigh. "Besides lying on his official Quirk papers, what's the big deal? Some children inherit both their parents' Quirks," Aizawa stated, trying to remind himself to give Problem Child detention for lying later on today.

"While part of what you said is true, neither Midoriya Inko nor Midoriya Hisashi have the ability to control gravity or travel through shadows, respectively."

"Don't tell me you forgot mutation Quirks," the tired man countered, waking up only slightly.

"Tsk tsk. Of course I haven't, and at the beginning that was exactly what I thought. Until I realized something. Being an underground hero and all, you surely know Gravity Controller, right?" Nezu asked, already knowing the answer.

"You mean Fatass? Yeah, he's an overweight newbie villain who showed up ten or so months ago. Why do ask…wait a moment," Aizawa came to the same epiphany as the chimera. After recalling all the times he's seen Midoriya's Quirk in action (which wasn't much) and comparing it to Gravity Controller's, Eraserhead made a sour face. "Their Quirks are…oddly similar. But that still doesn't explain this shadow Quirk. If he copied that villain's Quirk, who did he take his newest Quirk from?"

Nezu, without saying anything, gave a folder full of files to Aizawa labeled 'Toritsuka Kyoko'.

**3:30 PM**  
"Aizawa, sir, why am I here?" Izuku asked, standing in front of his teacher's desk. Unlike every other time he relived this Tuesday, this was the first time he was held after class. His teacher appeared to be relaxing in his sleeping bag on his chair, but to the time traveler he looked tense.

"Problem Child, would you like to admit anything before we start? Anything at all?" Eraserhead deadpanned, wanting to give his student a sliver of a chance to tell the truth.

"I-I don't think so. Did I…do something, sir?" he asked, worried that he was in big trouble.

"Midoriya, why did you lie about your Quirk?" Aizawa asked, his eyes narrowing.

 _"Fuck!"_ the greenette thought. "W-w-what do you mean-"

"Midoriya," the teacher firmly said, "lie to me, and I'll make sure you **never** become a hero, understand?" The teen didn't flinch upon hearing that, as if he knew such a thing was somehow impossible.

Aizawa widened his eyes, confused at the lack of fear on the boy's face. "I just told you that you won't become a hero if you lie to me, and you're okay with that?"

"Huh?! Of course I'm not okay with that! Why would I be?" Midoriya asked back, emotion coming back to his freckled face.

"It's just-never mind. The important thing is that I know about your shadow Quirk." Izuku flinched hearing that. "And I have a couple of questions for you. Starting with: Why did you lie on your Quirk papers, and why didn't you use it during the Practical?"

Midoriya put his head down, facing the floor. He breathed out slowly, complementing his next move. Tell the truth, and chaos ensues. Lie, and possibly be interrogated to death. So, he said what felt the most natural, "I can't tell you…"

"Can't or won't?" Aizawa countered, giving a tired sigh. This was going to be a long talk. "Midoriya, I'm your teacher and a Pro, you can talk to me." Silence came from the teen, his lips shut tightly and sweat running down his neck. "I'm not going to lie, I'm a bit worried for you." The greenette looked up at his teacher when he heard that. "I heard from Nezu and All Might what happened when you woke up. I've seen it, kid, when I'm out patrolling. You clearly have some type of PTSD from what I can gather and I want to know why."

"I-I sometimes get in…sticky situations," the greenette admitted, making it seem like he's been losing his books everyday instead of being in literal life or death situations. "I usually manage to get out of them..."

"But?"

"But I'm going through some trouble as of late," he added as he scratched the back of his head.

"Such as?" his sensei pressed, struggling to find the right balance of being pushy/helpful.

"Hypothetically, if you found out someone was trying to poison and then kill you, what would you do?" Izuku asked, hoping he could get a useful answer.

"This wouldn't 'hypothetically' be happening to you, would it?" Eraserhead questioned, narrowing his eyes once again.

"I don't have evidence of it, not yet. But I know it's going to happen. Any advice?"

"If I give you some advice, will you promise to tell me by the end of the week why you lied?" After a quick nod from the gravity manipulator, the teacher gave out his advice: "If I knew someone was trying to kill me, I'd act like I knew nothing about it. Once they try to pounce, I retaliate."

**Day Six, Saturday, 4:53 PM**  
Midoriya was hanging out in his room, waiting to see if his little experiment was going to work. For the past four days, he had tried to act as normal as possible to varying levels of success. Everyone except Kacchan, Uraraka, and Iida thought he was okay. Today, Izuku did something unprecedented: he didn't go to lunch that day. _"Any moment now…"_ the greenette thought to himself, getting impatient.

 _KNOCK KNOCK._ "I-is this M-Midoriya Izuku's room?" came a slightly disheartened voice. The boy in question smiled softly to himself, happy that his plan was working. He walked over to his door expecting Lunch Rush, but instead came face to face with a pretty girl his age.

 _"She's beautiful…"_ She was taller than him by more than an inch. Her raven-black hair flowed over her shoulders and her uniform, her bright red eyes reflecting tiny speckles that sparkled like polished rubies. "I-I'm sorry, but do I know you?" Midoriya asked cautiously.

"I-I'm Toritsuka Kyoko. I, um, noticed you didn't go to lunch today," she admitted shyly.

Izuku's blood ran dry upon hearing that. "W-w-wait, you wouldn't be my secret admirer, right?"

"H-how did you know?! I thought I hid myself very we-" she was immediately muffled by the closing of his door. Midoriya was terrified, fear coursing through his body. It was her, she's the one who's been killing him all this time! "I'm sorry for doing that! Please, forgive me! I-I just wanted to talk to you, Izuku!" Kyoko pleaded, banging on the door. Midoriya braced himself against the door, shaking his head to himself. After a tense and frantic five minutes of pleading, the girl finally left him alone.

His first thought was to tell a teacher, but he had no proof on him that this girl, Kyoko apparently, was trying to kill him, especially since he didn't have that bento box. Not wanting to endanger his friends, he was left with only one choice: Fight her off himself.

**6:00 PM**  
The time traveler had all the lights on his room and his window locked tight, patiently and alertly waiting for when his killer would surely strike. He purposely had some space between him and the wall as he sat on his bed. He knew it was going to happen, but because of his earlier actions he didn't know when.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, the lights suddenly went out. Immediately, Izuku activated his newest Quirk, falling into the shadowy abyss. He thought about his ceiling above his bed, and immediately he fell out of his ceiling, landing unceremoniously on his attacker. Midoriya activated his gravity Quirk, changing his attacker's gravity to slam them against his wall. "Got 'cha!" Deku shouted, happy that it went slightly according to plan.

"Aww, good job, Izuku! I hoped you could do that," Kyoko congratulated, a proud smile upon her face. "But you need to do better!~" she sing-songed as she bled through the wall, escaping his gravity Quirk.

Midoriya quickly stood up and got into the center of his room, getting into an awkward fighting stance. He looked around everywhere, but was suddenly grabbed by his ankles from the floor. Acting quickly, he changed his gravity so he could break free out of her grasp.

She anticipated this, however, so as soon he broke free, a whip came down from the ceiling, wrapping it's way around him. Midoriya was pulled through, back into the endless abyss, but he was not alone. Kyoko pulled the greenette uncomfortably close to her, a sadistic smile upon her face. Izuku couldn't even scream as a syringe was plunged into his neck.

Once the yellow liquid was fully in the boy's body, Kyoko kicked him out of the abyss. After landing roughly against the grassy ground, he took in big gulps of air. The gravity manipulator realized he was a good distance away from the school. The sun was setting, an orange hue lighting up the sky. After struggling off the whips, Midoriya ran over to the shadow of the closest tree and tried to use his shadow Quirk to escape.

Nothing happened. He tried to use his gravity Quirk, but that also didn't work.

"Tsk tsk. I had hoped you'd go silently, Young Midoriya, but it seems you want to go the hard way." Midoriya looked to the sound of the high voice, seeing two figures, one was 5"6', the other was under 3" with a tail bobbing back and forth.

Izuku couldn't believe his eyes as he began to blink rapidly. His heartbeat spiked, sweat drenched his fallen face as he realized who had said that. The chimera of his school walked out of the shadows along with his killer, his signature smile replaced by a grim frown. "You're…you're kidding me. Principal Nezu?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a (work in progress) Discord now!  
> Join, if you want to: https://discord.gg/mcrwEMY


	9. Midoriya Izuku’s Restart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A horrible truth is revealed. Tears are shed.

**Day Six, Saturday, 6:15 PM**  
Toritsuka Kyoko and Principal Nezu walked out of the shadows towards the shell shocked teenager, who was currently backed up against a tree. Midoriya was shaking all over, his eyes not able to comprehend what was, no, what _will_ happen to him.

"Young Midoriya, if you cooperate with us then I can make your death as painless as possible," Nezu promised simply, carefully putting no emotion in his voice. The chimera's eyes was staring the greenette down, as if expecting him to try to escape.

"...w-why? Why are you doing this?!" Midoriya cried out, his voice cracking with hurt and confusion.

"You were suspicious, especially after you lied about your Quirk. Or should I say Quirks?" the chimera sarcastically asked, both he and Kyoko stopping 10 feet away from the time traveler. Toritsuka looked at the principal with a side-glance, wishing her boss would stop monologuing already.

"T-that's how little you trusted me? You-you could've asked!" Izuku pointed out, doing his best not to crumple to his knees. No, instead he breathed slowly in and out, trying to let the repressed anger over the past couple of deaths fuel his confidence.

Nezu snapped his fingers and with that Kyoko began to walk ever so closer to the greenette, spinning the knife expertly in her hands, "I didn't need to, your actions and smell proved it all," he explained with a sad glint in his eyes. "If you were just...too suspicious. Kyoko, you know what to do," Nezu commanded, watching Toritsuka about to finish off his former student.

"S-stop!" Midoriya cried in desperation as he swung a left hook, but his admirer easily dodged it and used his momentum to send the boy crashing to the ground.

Nezu audibly sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, wanting to laugh at the stupidity of his captive. "Whoever taught you to be a spy is an awful teacher," the chimera said, his voice changing to one like a teacher. "You shouldn't announce your attack, and if you do, make sure to lie about it. Toritsuka, immobilize him." With a nod from the girl, Kyoko slammed the butt of the knife into Midoriya's right kneecap several dozen times until she was satisfied that it was dust, each hit eliciting a louder yell of pain from him. Nezu squatted down slightly so he could be face to face with the fallen teen. "Let's begin with the questioning, shall we? Which school sent you to sabotage mine?"

Midoriya shook his head as his tears flowed into his ears, wanting to be anywhere else. He hated this, this feeling of hopelessness. He closed his eyes, trying to remember something nice, anything happy: "Hanging out with Uraraka was the best part of my day. She would always bring a smile to my-AAAAAAAAAAH!" Kyoko plunged the knife into Midoriya's back with anger then quickly pulled it back out.

"Who hired you and why?" Nezu asked, not liking the willpower of his former student.

"H-her smile…it was priceless-AAAAAAAAAAH!" This time the knife was plunged into his left shoulder blade a couple times with rage before being pulled out. Midoriya went into the fetal position as best as he could, wanting it to end already.

"Are you affiliated with All For One?" Nezu asked darkly, narrowing his eyes as a hint of menace creeped into his voice.

"All For One? Never…heard of him. This is all just one big mis-"

"I have grown tired of this!" Nezu shouted, his face full of emotion. "You have exhausted my patience, and you still lie even when I offered you a swift death! The stench of All For One hangs so thickly upon you that it makes me sick! Someone who works so closely with that monster, who has caused me and my brethren so much misery, pretending to be a student at the one place where everyone respects me, where everyone thinks I have the same rights as humans do…you're despicable," the principal of the school spat out, looking like he might kill Midoriya at any time. But unexpectedly Nezu calmed himself down, sighing as he frowned. "...but I am no better. You're right, Young Midoriya. I could have just asked you, I had the resources at my disposal to find out if you were a spy and yet...I chose to follow my emotions, I chose to follow my _instincts_ like some human. And now I can see that I may have treated you too harshly," Nezu admitted as he stared at the broken and battered body of Midoriya.

For one moment, for one second, Midoriya Izuku felt the smallest sliver of hope.

"But I've come too far, what I've done is irreversible. You'll never forgive me, and I can't risk you telling anyone else. Please believe that I am truly dearly sorry," Nezu begged, standing up to bow in respect.

Those words killed the miniscule hope Midoriya had gathered, crumbling like a house of sand. He didn't care anymore, he turned onto his back to see the orange hue of the sky one more time before...before he died. The clouds floated by peacefully, as if it was just a normal day. The greenette raised his left hand, failing to ignore the burning sensation he felt as he examined it, "I don't l-lose against my friends when I play Immortal Combat a-anymore. I've gotten way better," the boy admitted, his voice breaking from stress.

"Huh?" Nezu asked, stopping his underling from giving the final blow.

"I-I'm better at using my gravity Quirk, even in little ways. F-fighting Kacchan all those times really h-helped," Izuku croaked out as he gave a stifled chuckle. "I had f-friends. Friends! For the first time in ever. W-without your school, I wouldn't have ever met them."

Kyoko and Nezu looked to each other, confused expressions on their faces. The chimera asked, "You're welcome?"

"Besides the death, hanging out with my friends these past few weeks has been life changing, irreplaceable," Midoriya continued as he gave a small sad smile to the bear.

"Weeks?" Nezu asked in confusion. "You're talking as if your one week has been a lifetime, why?"

Izuku's face morphed from one of pure sadness to one of pure anger and hurt. "…why? WHY?! Why don't _**you**_ remember?! Why does everyone keep leaving me behind?! Why do you guys keep forgetting everything?! Is it my fault?! What am I supposed to do?! Why did you have to do this multiple times?!" he screamed, sitting up in agony. His eyes held pain and malice behind them, as though he expected the chimera to understand. "Even when you promised to protect me…even through these hellish weeks, I enjoyed being at your school, Principal Ne-" Midoriya Izuku got cut off, quite literally as his throat was sliced open by Toritsuka.

With a look of regret Nezu walked away as he whispered, "I'm sorry."

**Day One, Monday, 4:00 PM**  
Midoriya Izuku's eyes snapped wide open, feeling the cold sweat already upon his face. He weakly lifted his head to see both Principal Nezu and All Might in his room, looking at him expectedly.

"Young Midoriya, I see that you've awaken!" All Might boomed, his signature smile doing nothing to ease the greenette's soul. The teen began to hyperventilate before he yelled out a cry of fear before passing out.

* * *

"Midoriya, are you okay? Principal Nezu and All Might said you weren't doing well. Did they do something to you?" Uraraka asked worriedly, wanting to know what was wrong with her friend. She was wearing casual clothing, which consisted of black leggings and a pink t-shirt. Ochaco was sitting on his desk chair, which was moved so she could be closer to her distraught friend.

"They did…nothing to me," Midoriya slowly said, his eyes far away, filled with pain. Uraraka's hair flowed from the wind emanating from the squeaky window. His crush tenderly grasped the distraught boy's hand, which brought him slightly out of his pit of despair.

"Can't you tell me what's wrong? We're friends, so I worry about you," Ochaco reminded, pleading with her friend to let her in.

 _"I can't keep going on like this…I'm at the end of my rope. Wait, that's it!"_ Deku widened his eyes in realization, _"If I just told her, I wouldn't have to do this by myself. I wouldn't have to be so alone through all of this…"_ he thought, hope building up inside of him, ready to burst out. "Uraraka, I need to tell you something," the greenette stated, determined to let go of the weight that's been building up inside of him for far too long.

"Yes?" she asked, feeling like he was going to say something important.

"Believe it or not, for the past couple of weeks I've been Returning by D-"

Time stood still. The wind ceased blowing, his breathing stopped, Uraraka's hair stopped flowing. Nonetheless, his brain kept functioning. _"W-what?! How is-"_ His thoughts were interrupted when a purplish-black fog rolled into his room, blocking his view. A vortex of similar color appeared before his unblinking eyes, with a familiar hand reaching out towards him. It snaked its way up his body, the boy unable to stop it, no matter how desperately he wanted to. The hand caressed Izuku's face lovingly, like that of a lover, before crawling its way to his heart. It squeezed, so hard it was about to break. _"Stop! Stop! STOP!"_

"Midoriya?! Midoriya?!" Uraraka called out, time resuming. The time traveler was breathing hard, his mind reeling. "What happened?! You were fine a moment ago…"

_"Nothing hurts. My body moves. My brain works. My heart still beats. But the fear…is engraved in me."_

"You're really scaring me, Midoriya. Please, tell me what's going on."

He stilled, knowing what he had to do to keep her safe, but hating it all the same. Izuku, his voice barely above a whisper asked, "I want you to do me a favor."

Relieved, Uraraka answered immediately, "Yes?"

"Have nothing to do with me," the greenette pleaded with little to no emotion in his voice. He flipped over onto his opposite side, trying to ignore the shocked gasp he heard from his friend. Izuku also tried to ignore the sniffling sounds as she walked slowly out of his room.

* * *

For an hour or two after Uraraka left, Midoriya was greeted by almost all of his classmates, each one expressing their concerns. Aizawa even visited for a little bit, if only to make sure whether or not his student was going to make it to his classes for the week (he wouldn't).

Izuku stared forlornly out his squeaky window, his reflection equally as sad. His thoughts stewed in his slightly deteriorating mind, _"I only died three times back in Aldera Junior High. If I die again, I might not come back…"_ His thoughts were interrupted by his door slamming open along by a series of swears.

"Stupid fuckin' girl. Oi, Deku!" Bakugo loudly announced as he came straight up to the greenette. He wore a white under shirt with black track pants, sweat glistening on his skin. He looked pissed (as usual).

"What are you doing here, Kacchan?" Midoriya tiredly asked, his surprise muffled under his depression. "And why are you so sweaty?"

"Why the fuck do you care?! I always work out in the morning but I didn't have time to do it today, you fuckin' Deku. Anyways, Pink Cheeks thinks I did something extra to you after I knocked you out, the fuckin' gall of her!" the blonde spat out, as if the mere idea of kicking someone who was already down sickened him.

"It's…it's okay. You felt guilty, so you came to apologize-"

Bakugo got up and personal with the time traveler, their noses almost touching. "Let me get one thing straight: I didn't come here to apologize!" Kacchan clarified, the half-truth feeling better than a complete lie. "I only came here so she wouldn't fuck up my shit, got it?!" The explosive teen jabbed a finger at the teen's heart. Without waiting for an answer, Bakugo began to walk away. Suddenly, the greenette realized the answer to his survival lied right in front of him.

"W-wait! I need a favor!" Midoriya shouted, his right arm outreached to the blonde.

"Don't care."

"Remember my fifth birthday party?" Izuku reminded him, hoping his bluff would work. "Where you were got me an All Might door name plate to match yours? I wonder how Kirishima-"

Bakugo slammed his foot into the ground multiple times along with a slew of swears, Bakugo walked back to the bed-ridden teen. "The fuck's the favor?" Kacchan asked heatedly, his face slightly blushing from the memory.

"I want you to protect me from any harm till Sunday of next week. Please," Midoriya begged as he put his hands together, hope ignited in his chest.

"That's it? Whatever, I'll do your stupid ass favor." Kacchan held out his right hand. Izuku looked at it, not knowing why the blonde was doing that. After a sigh of annoyance, Bakugo grabbed the greenette's right hand, forming a handshake.

"Is this…necessary?"

"When I make promises I need to keep, I shake on it, Deku," the explosive teen explained. As the time traveler began to shed a couple of tears, Kacchan dragged the teen into his room with an eyeroll, practically throwing him in.

"Why am I here?" Izuku asked, confused as he picked himself up off the floor.

"You asked me to protect you, best way to do that is to keep you near me," Bakugo simply said, picking up a twenty pound weight. The gravity manipulator looked around his protector's room.

"Your place is more of a weight room than a dorm room," Izuku said, more to himself than his friend. There was an impressive amount of weights, ranging from all types of training your muscles. "Since I'll be here for a week, what should I-"

A blue weight was thrown at Midoriya, the teen barely able to stop it with his gravity Quirk. "Can it, nerd! You're at my place, work out or something." After a second of hesitation, the two childhood friends worked out in companionable silence.

For the next five days, Midoriya barely left Kacchan's room, doing his school work entirely in isolation…for the most part. On Friday, however, the explosive blonde asked something out of the blue: "Do you like anyone in our class, nerd?"

After sputtering for a bit, the greenette replied back with, "I-I mean, I like everyone," he honestly said before adding, "a-as much as I can from seeing them only a couple of times!"

"I bet you like Pink Cheeks," the other teased, eliciting a quick 'no' from the other. After countless denials, the both of them got back to training, just to pass the time.

**Day Six, Saturday, 5:00 AM**  
Bakugo slammed his foot into Deku's chest, causing the boy to wake up with a start. "Thought 'cha were scared, Deku?! You seem pretty calm for a 'dead man'," Bakugo joked. After gasping for air, Midoriya shook his head, trying to wake himself up.

"You're right, I'm way too calm for the sixth day! I got to be alert, ready for… _yawn_ , action." Izuku stretched out his arms, hearing the cracking of his bones. It was oddly satisfying, if not also terrifying for obvious reasons. "So…are we gonna do squats, push-ups, or sit-ups to start the day?"

"Neither, nerd. Let's see if you still got some skill," Bakugo taunted as he opened a yellow plastic bag. After a couple of seconds, Kacchan pulled out Kaminari's console, with a copy of Immortal Combat and Wario Kart 32.

With a smirk, the greenette boldly stated, "Let's see, indeed."

**11:50 AM**  
With bruised thumbs and empty bottles of water by their sides, the teens were spent, tired and their competitive souls were put at ease. Midoriya absolutely wiped the floor with Bakugo, the explosive blonde utterly confused and livid that Deku was kicking his ass. On the other hand, while the 'cheating nerd' practiced playing Immortal Combat for weeks, the same couldn't be said about Wario Kart 32.

Before they could start another match, a knock was heard coming from the door. Bakugo pointed to his closet, Izuku quickly hiding himself quietly. Inside the closet, Midoriya began to listen:

The door opens. "The hell do you want?" Kacchan gruffly asks.

"Um, have you seen M-Midoriya Izuku?" came a too high pitched voice. It almost sounded purposeful, but he couldn't be sure.

"No," Bakugo emotionlessly said. And with that, the door was slammed shut. After a couple of steps came towards Izuku's hideout, the closet door was opened; the light slightly blinding the greenette.

"Oi," Kacchan whispered, "I think she's gone." With a helping hand, the both of them got out of the closet.

"Who was she?" Midoriya asked, fearful of it was _her_.

"Don't know, don't care," Bakugo said simply, grabbing his controller. After a couple of seconds of waiting, the blonde hotly asked, "You gonna play or what, dipshit?"

With a quick hesitant nod, the two boys went straight back to playing, feeling like it was old times.

* * *

The time traveler groggily woke up, not knowing whether it was day or night. He couldn't even remember the last thing he and Kacchan did before the both of them passed out. The blinds were closed and the lights turned off, but Deku could still see Bakugo trying to slink away. "Where are you going?" he yawned out.

"I got a text from Shitty Hair and Pikachu. Stay here until I'm back," his voice leaving no room for argument. After a couple minutes of waiting, Midoriya's mind began to stir.

 _"Is it morning? Night? I can't stay here forever. Fuck it!"_ Deku decided, throwing open Bakugo's door open with his eyes shut. He cracked open his eyes and was greeted by early morning light shining down upon him. He didn't believe it, opening his mouth in a 'O' shape.

Midoriya Izuku, facing the rising sun in the window in front of him, had finally made it to Sunday. His legs gave way, falling hardly onto his knees, but he could care less about the pain. "It all seemed so far away, but it was that easy?" he smiled, tears about to fall down his face.

"I thought I told you to-never mind, you need to come with me, Izuku," Kacchan appeared, seemingly sneaking up on him. He forcibly grabbed his friend's wrist, dragging him for a second before Midoriya started walking. They were going to the staircase, ascending upwards.

"Since when have you called me Izuku? And what's wrong? Everything is okay, I'm alive, it's a new day…" the greenette rambled off his thoughts at the top of his head. Bakugo didn't respond, not even a grunt to suggest he heard him. On the fourth floor they finally got to their destination: Uraraka's room.

Several deep, sad cries reached their ears. Walking on shaky feet, Midoriya entered, seeing what he feared most.

His best friend, his first crush; Uraraka Ochaco was laying on her bed, not breathing. Her face was red, like she was sunburned. Her skin was taut as if she had been taxidermized. Nezu, Aizawa, All Might, Kiminari, Kirishima, Momo, Tsuya, Iida, Shinso, Aoyama, Mina, etc. Almost everyone was silent besides Tsuya, Iida, and Mina, who were wailing at the dead girl's bed.

Izuku's brain overflowed, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. He felt bile rise in his throat, stifling it with his hands. Salty tears began to pour down the greenette's face as he shook his head from side to side, trying to deny this new reality.

"Young Midoriya?" the principal asked, looking away from his dead student for a second. He looked surprised to see Izuku before he explained, "Young Uraraka was poisoned," Nezu answered, the chimera knowing what he was going to ask. He held a tablet in his paws, "I checked the security cameras. She died at midnight of today. No one entered her room, and the last meal she ate was at 12:00 PM yesterday, a meal of rice, steamed vegetables, and chicken that was in a bento box."

Izuku's eyes widened, which didn't go unnoticed by Aizawa. _"No…that's impossible!"_ Midoriya screamed in his mind. Kyoko gave his friend that damn bento box.

"Problem Child, do you know something? Anything at all?" Eraserhead accusing asked, knowing from years of experience that exact look.

Iida turned around, getting off of the floor. Turning towards the time traveler, Tenya was a mess. His eyes were red from crying, his glasses missing from his face; his nose stuffy the robotic-like teen bowed deeply to Midoriya before pleading, "Please, I beg of you! I know we didn't interact much, but please! If you know anything, anything at all, I-no, _we_ need to know!" Iida lifted his head, showing off a vengeful, yet also desperate look.

"I-I," Midoriya stuttered, unsure of himself. _"If I tell them, won't that thing hurt me?"_

Iida, sensing he was going to get no answer, walked angerly toward the hesitant teen before being stopped by Bakugo. The blonde stood in front of the greenette, protectively. "I've know Izuku my entire life. Whatever his reasons for not saying anything, there's a damn good reason for it, Four Eyes."

"Get out of my way," Tenya threatened, his hands forming fists. "If he knows something, he has a duty to tell us, Bakugo!" Iida yelled, his engines on his calves revving up.

"None of that even matters!" Mina suddenly spoke up, barely stopping the two teens. Tears ran down her pink skin, falling onto the floor, the sound inaudible from her choked sobs. "What matters is Uraraka! Midoriya, you can do something! You can help us catch her killer! Why won't you help us?! Help her?!" she asked, hoping the greenette would see reason.

"I...I can't!" Midoriya yelled with a pained expression. He ran, the sounds of explosions, an engine, and sheer chaos resounding behind him, with the anguished cries coming from Mina. The time traveler jumped into a shadow, exiting into his dark dorm room bathroom. Even floors away, the scared teenager heard her cries. Izuku tried to block the noise to no avail. Deku tried to justify his actions, _"What was I supposed to do?! I can't say anything without explaining how I know. And if I explain…that happens. Can I even save her? I don't know what happens if I die more than three times. But I can't just let her stay dead!"_

With an idea to fix everything, Midoriya traveled to the shadowy abyss. He tried his best to suffocate himself, to save his best friend that he pushed away when he needed her most, but his survival instincts kicked in, forcing him to exit. Gasping unwillingly for air, he spoke aloud, "I can't even do this one simple thing…"

He closed his eyes, wanting to wake up from his nightmare.

**Day Seven, 12:00 PM**  
"Fuckin' hell, Izuku, you hid here? Get the fuck up, I need to get you out of here," Bakugo commanded, doing his best to be nice.

Waking himself up, the greenette looked up at the offered hand in confusion. "Why…are you here?"

"I made a promise with you to protect you from any harm," Kacchan reminded him.

"I asked you to protect me till Sunday," Izuku clarified, wanting to be left alone.

"You have no fuckin' idea how badly I want to call you a name right now. Izuku, you never said there was a time limit." Shock etched itself across the shadow traveler's face, not realizing how far his friend was willing to go for a favor/promise. "If you're wondering, I'm calling you by your 'true' name because…she died, and I know you two were close. I'm an asshole, but I'm not gonna kick ya while you're down," he paused, choosing his words carefully, "Everyone, including the principal, is hunting your ass down. You lost your chance at explaining yourself when you ran away earlier."

"B-but I cared about her, I wanted to p-protect her…" Midoriya tried to say, wanting to justify himself.

"She's gone, Izuku. It's bullshit, but you got to accept it," Bakugo advised, looking over his shoulder to see if anyone was there.

"So in the end, I asked for help because I was too weak to protect myself, and in the process, lost one of my newest friends," Izuku glumly summarized, looking off to the side in shame as he sat on the cold porcelain floor.

"We really gotta go while we still can, Deku," Bakugo urged, not noticing his slip-up with Midoriya's name. "Or else they'll get your worthless ass," Bakugo reminded him, knowing they were running short on time.

 _"Deku? Worthless?"_ Midoriya thought, an idea blooming inside of him.

> **_FLASHBACK  
> _ ** _"But can't the word 'Deku' also be short for 'dekiru', which means to be able to do something?" Uraraka gave a thoughtful smile as she questioned Midoriya._
> 
> _In that moment, the nickname Deku changed forever within Izuku's mind. "Y-you're right! I never thought about it that way! Thank you, Uraraka!"_

"Kacchan, what does Deku mean again?" Midoriya asked, determination revitalizing within his core.

"Huh?! We need to-"

"What does it mean?" Izuku pressed, staring down his friend from the floor.

With a sigh Bakugo explained, "Deku is the insult I gave you when I was like five. It's short dekunobou, to be worthless."

"No, you're wrong," Midoriya said with a grin, standing up on his own two feet. He wasn't shaking anymore. "Deku isn't short for dekunobou, it's short for dekiru, to be able to do something! And I, Deku, am going to save Uraraka by doing something only I can do!" he boldly declared with a faint smile on his face.

"Wha-that's impossible, you dumbass! She's dead, she's fuckin' dead! You can't save her!" Bakugo spat out, annoyed that his friend was finally going to do something by himself right after he critically failed. _"Did he finally go insane?"_

"Believe it or not, I have the tendency to do the impossible," Midoriya casually replied back, as he stepped passed his blonde friend to his room. Facing away from Kacchan Izuku started to do some standing-toe touches, trying to limber himself up. _"This plan is pretty stupid, not to mention reckless. And after all that work to keep this life. I've always had to work twice as hard, if not more to achieve my dreams. This dream that I have now, to save Uraraka? It's going to be the roughest path I've ever taken. But who said life was easy?"_ Midoriya turned around quickly to swoop up his childhood friend in a sudden embrace. "Kacchan, thank you for protecting me this week. And thank you for being my friend again, even if it's temporary. But this is something that only I can do." With a thought Bakugo dropped to the floor, his weight increased tenfold. He watched as Midoriya approached his window before opening it all the way.

"The fuck are you doing, Deku?! Have you gone crazy?!" Bakugo screamed, trying his best to stop his friend from committing the worst mistake of his life.

"You'll be free soon, I hope. I'll see you last week, Kacchan!" And with his heartfelt goodbye said, Midoriya jumped out of the window, flying high into the sky. When he hit the clouds, Izuku passively changed his gravity back to normal. As he plummeted back to Earth, Midoriya Izuku whispered, "Please, let me save her!"

His body crashed into the pavement, his body exploding outwards. His guts and blood covered the surrounding grass and flowers, fertilizing them.

And he died, his mind entering a shadowy abyss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a Discord server. Join, if you want to:  
> https://discord.gg/mcrwEMY


	10. The Cathartic Sob of Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The leap of faith, did it work?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Making this chapter was tough, as I kept losing the urge to write. Hope you enjoy.

** *************  
** Midoriya Izuku blinked open his eyes, blurriness surrounding him. Once it finally faded away, a familiar beige ceiling greeted him. “Never thought I’d be thrilled to see that,” he quietly whispered, suppressing his joy.

“Ah, Young Midoriya, you’re awake!” the Pro Hero boomed. The teen sat upwards, warmth filling his face. 

“All Might! It’s good to see you again!” Midoriya honestly greeted, his face in a grin before it vanished upon noticing his principal, the signature smile resting upon its mouse-like face.

“Young Midoriya, are you okay? You made a face when you saw me,” Nezu noted, speaking up. The principal looked and waited for the boy’s answer, numerous sentences starting and dying before escaping Izuku’s lips.

“I-um, how’d you get the scar, Mr.…?” Midoriya asked, feigning ignorance wisely.

“My name is Nezu, but please call me Principal Nezu. As for your question,  _humans_ ,” the chimera’s face darkened at the memory, “did this to me.”

After a tense couple of moments of silence, All Might cleared his throat, catching everyone’s attention. “Midoriya, how are you feeling after Young Bakugo attacked you?”

“Perfectly fine, sir,” the greenette responded, realizing with a strange thought that for them the attack happened no less than an hour ago.

“Well, seeing as how you are fine, we might as well go,” All Might suggested, about to take his leave.

“W-wait!” Midoriya shouted, stopping the two adults. “I-I have something important to tell the both of you,” he admitted.

“Interesting, please continue,” Nezu asked, intrigue etched onto his face.

“I…wasn’t entirely truthful on my official Quirk papers.” With a nod of acknowledgment from the bear, Midoriya continued, “My true Quirk isn’t Gravity Alteration, it’s something I like to call…Quirk Copy,” Izuku admitted as he twiddled his thumbs. He (obviously) left out the ‘by Death’ part. “It allows me, through very strict rules that even I don’t fully understand, to gain a new Quirk from a person I may or may not know.”

A stunned silence echoed through the room, shock evident on both All Might and Nezu’s face. 

“Am I expelled?” Midoriya asked, scared his action may have set him back. The chimera and All Might shared a look, the old friends having a silent conversation.

“Your Quirk is too interesting to expel you, and you also admitted it before you were caught red-handed. You’ll be allowed to stay, Midoriya, but only if you, one, tell us all your Quirks, two, tell us whenever you get a new Quirk, and three, find out how exactly you get Quirks. Do you agree to these terms?” Nezu asked, eager to see the boy’s reaction. With a relived sigh, Izuku gave a nod full of enthusiasm.

“Good. First question: What are your Quirks currently?"

"Gravity Alteration. I believe I got it from the villain 'Gravity Controller'. And…do you know Toritsuka Kyoko?" Deku asked, already knowing the answer. Nezu's eyes betrayed him for just a moment, wondering how the hell the boy sat in front of him knew about his stalker, before he went back to playing dumb, shaking his head.

"I don't know much about her, except that she…likes me," saying it more as a question. He recalled her exact words, "' _I_ _love you so much, Midoriya. So much, that only I can have you…_ '". He shuddered upon remembering, bile rising in his throat, quickly swallowing it, which didn't go unnoticed by the adults. "She's definitely been stalking me. As of late, I have her power, which I call Shadow Travel." After a probing look, Nezu gave a nod, satisfied.

"Young Midoriya, you wouldn't happen to be able to copy my Quirk, right?" All Might asked, his hair drooping slightly as he did so. His eyes oddly held…fear in them.

With a smile, Midoriya reassured his idol, "Don't worry, while I don't know all the rules of my true Quirk, I do know it could never copy your Quirk, All Might."

"What makes you so sure?" Nezu asked, questioning why All Might's Quirk could never be copied.

"It's just a feeling, you know?" Izuku simply replied, faking a smile, all the while thinking, _"Because_ _ All Might would never kill me, unlike you."  _

** Day One, Monday, 11:00 PM  
**"All right, Midoriya, you need a game plan for the rest of the week," the greenette said aloud to himself, laying down on his bed. The moon light washed over his body, showing a determined look on his face. "I got to gain everyone's trust, especially Nezu's. Gaining my schoolmate's trust the first time was easy enough, so I hope I can do it again. Kyoko is the wild card, as I barely know a thing about her. But she won't do anything to me until Saturday, so I should be fine until then." Izuku's pep-talk went long into the night, with Kacchan hearing everything before he slept.

**Day Two, Tuesday, 6:30 AM  
** "Good morning! It's another sunny day, perfect for staying inside and learning! Let's make this day a good one, everybody!" the time traveler too enthusiastically said, already dressed and ready for the day. A lot of people in the room, especially Mina, gave him a dirty look as they all struggled to wake up. The pink-skinned girl went to make a cup of coffee, but found dozens of cups labeled with individual names. After finding hers, she noticed a cute drawing of herself using her acid Quirk.

"Um, thanks, Green…" Ashido thanked hesitantly, a little creeped out. She took a small sip of it, then immediately after swallowing, her eyes and lips perked up. "Oh. My. God! Midoriya, this tastes _exactly_ how I'd make it!" she thanked more happily, forgetting all about the uncomfortableness she felt about him.

"No problem! Everyone, in case you haven't noticed, I made a cup for each of you to start off your morning right!" Midoriya announced, having a slightly forced smile on his face. Bakugo was the last one to grab his, narrowing his eyes at his childhood friend. He grabbed his cup, examining the color. Kacchan noticed it didn't look like the others.

"Oi, Deku! Why is mine different?!" the blonde asked loudly, making Jiro covering her ears from the noise. Sweat came off the explosive boy's face from his morning workout, drenching his white under shirt.

"Oh, I made you a protein shake, as you workout in the mornings," Midoriya nonchalantly replied.

"That makes sense, except for one thing: Why the fuck would you know that?" Bakugo sneered, wondering how far the greenette would lie.

Midoriya tensed up, frozen as he quietly thought to himself of how to get out of his fuck up. "W-w-well, you have to be working out if you can knock me out with one kick, right, Kacchan?"

The blonde narrowed his eyes, walking off with his protein shake, taking a couple sips as he thought, _"That bastard's hiding something_ … _but damn is this good."_

"How long did this take you, Midoriya?" Uraraka asked worriedly, not consuming her drink. She was wearing a pink onesie, making Midoriya smile at the sight.

"I was up at 3:00 AM working on this," Izuku replied happily, his left eye twitching as he spoke. "And don't worry about me, Uraraka! I've got enough energy to last me days," Midoriya stated, sidling up to the girl, "but if I ever do get exhausted and worn out, I'll just hang out with you and all my troubles will go away! Now, sorry to say, I've got to prepare our first class together! Goodbye!" Deku shouted, running off to the stairway.

"He's acting different, right?" a gruff voice asked from behind. Jumping up in surprise, Uraraka relaxed upon seeing the loud blonde boy. 

"Oh! It's you…Kacchan?" Ochaco guessed, not knowing his name by heart yet.

"Don't fuckin' call me that!" Bakugo shouted, spilling some of his shake on the floor. "I can barely stand it when that bastard does it. Does he seem the same or not?!"

"I-I-I, um, he _does_ seem to be acting…off," Uraraka stammered out, thinking back how it looked like he was trying too hard.

"I've, regrettably, known Deku for years now. He hasn't pulled a stunt like this since I managed to convince him everyone in the 5th grade hated him," Kacchan revealed, sadly smiling at the memory.

"Why would you do that?" Ochaco asked, confused, also wondering how the hell he managed to pull that off.

"Doesn't matter. Both times, Deku tried his hardest to get everyone to like him, failing fuckin' horribly. Eventually, it got so bad where he was sick for like a week."

"That's…that's horrible," Uraraka gasped, hoping that history wasn't going to repeat.

"Pink Cheeks, I'm only telling you this shit because I don't want to see Midori-Deku get hurt again, all right?!" Bakugo shouted, spit flying out of his mouth, "I ain't good at this feelings bullshit, so do something about this." And with that, Kacchan walked away, leaving Ochaco very worried about her friend.

** 1:00 PM  
**"Kacchan, isn't it amazing how much control I have over my gravity Quirk?!" Midoriya happily boasted, his eyes closed as he demonstrated his finesse over said Quirk by changing the gravity of himself and a cup full of ice to the ceiling, with nothing spilling in the process.

Bakugo just gave a blank stare back at his friend, unamused as they stood with their fellow classmates in the monitoring room. 

**4:00 PM  
** Deku was slaving away in the dorm kitchen, making cupcakes for all of his friends, having started around thirty minutes ago. Sweat was dripping down his face, his stomach turning over. _"I feel sick. I feel sick. I feel sick. I feel sick. I feel sick. I feel_ _sick."_ Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he began to put the vanilla icing on the cupcakes. 

With it finally done, Izuku shouted at the top of his lungs, "I made cupcakes!" with a plastered fake grin on his face. Everyone came coming down in waves, surprised and thankful with the snack, Sato Rikido the happiest out of all of them. Whenever someone finished with their snack, Midoriya hurriedly ran to grab and recycle their trash, saying it was 'no big deal'. _"I feel sick. I feel sick. I feel sick. I feel sick. I feel sick. I feel_ _sick. I feel sick,"_ Deku thought with a huge forced smile on his face as he did a deep cleaning of the kitchen. His red-headed friend looked at him with concern.

"Don't you think you're going a little overboard, bro?" Kirishima asked, uneasiness in his eyes. 

"Nah, nah, it's fine, Kirishima! Just leave all the cleaning for me, it's no big deal!" the greenette reassured, the lie tasting like bile in his throat.

**5:00 PM  
**Midoriya took a long look at himself in his bathroom, fear and worry burned into his eyes. _"I need them to like me. I need to do better. I need to do more things. I should be able to do more things! I can't fail again! I just-"_ His thoughts were cut off with the sudden urge to vomit. Izuku, having no time, threw up into the sink, feeling last night's dinner pour out of him. After breathing hard and washing it down the drain, he splashed water on his face, mostly for punishment for being such a loser, he thought. "Fucking…weakling."

Deku walked out of the bathroom, a determined and tired look upon his face before he saw Uraraka, with a frown on her face, sitting on his bed. Immediately, he changed his face to a faux bright smile. "Uraraka! What's up?" Izuku asked, fake happiness coming out. 

"We need to talk," she said, her voice leaving no room for an argument.

"Uraraka Ochaco, my best friend, wants to talk to me?!" the time traveler gasps dramatically, his arms becoming robotic like Iida. "Wait, you must be an imposter! But why do you look just as pretty as her?!"

With a sad smile and a tiny blush, Uraraka stood up and dragged Midoriya to the bed, forcing him to sit down. They sat a good distance apart, with Ochaco sitting seiza style while also being closer to the headboard. 

"Um, so what did you want to talk about?" Izuku asked, confused.

An embarrassed smile adorned her face as she said, “Just this once, alright?” Uraraka grabbed her friend's head and rest it atop her lap. “Your position is a little weird. And your hair is…tickling me.”

Midoriya blinked slowly, "You're…letting me rest on your lap?" he asked, looking up at her. 

"Don't say it aloud, it's embarrassing! And no looking up here, keep your eyes closed," she commanded, Izuku immediately obeying. Uraraka, satisfied that he listened, began to comb through his hair with her fingers.

"Y-you're cute when you're flustered, you know that? What's this about, anyway? I don't think the cupcakes were _that_ good to deserve such an amazing reward," he joked.

"You can drop that weird tough guy act now, Izu. We're all alone now, with no one to worry you. No one to scare you. Didn't you say this morning that you wanted to hang out with me to ease your troubles when you were exhausted?" Midoriya opened his eyes a bit, scared that she'll find out about his problems or that he'll crack. "We can't do this all the time because of school, but today is special," Ochaco gently said.

"Special? It's only our second day at school; what kind of weakling would I be if I'm already tired and worn out?" he lied, hoping to get rid of her concerns.

"I can tell that you're overwhelmed, but I'm going to guess you won't really tell me what's going on, will you?" she asked, already knowing his answer. "Whatever your reasons for not telling me, it's okay. You can tell me later. I can't imagine this will make even one of your problems go away, but this is all I can do." 

"Uraraka, you got everything wrong…" Izuku tried to argue, the words dying on his lips as his troubles were slowly eased out of him by her soothing fingers.

"Are you tired?" she asked sweetly, her eyes closed.

"I'm wide awake and t-totally fine," the time traveler stammered out.

"Are you troubled?" Ochaco asked, knowing he was probably going to lie again.

"I'm going to fall in love with you if you keep being this nice to me. When you…I mean, you should stop…"

Uraraka put her lips close to her friend's ear, and whispered, "It's been rough, hasn't it?"

Every single death flashed before Midoriya Izuku's eyes. Suicide, suffocation, assault, poisoning, blood loss, torture, and jumping to his death from his window. All those traumatic incidents wormed their way to the forefront of his mind in vivid detail. And the worst part of all of it was not the pain.

It wasn't his failures that troubled him the most, nor everyone losing their memories each time he died: It was the loneliness of it all. Not being able to tell a single soul about it, unless he wanted to die in the process. It was slowly killing him from the inside.

Like a dam breaking open, tears began to drop from the boy's face, "Yeah, it's been rough…" he admitted shakily, "It was so painful. I was so scared. I was so sad…it hurt so, so much I thought I'd die…"

"Just let it out," Uraraka encouraged.

"I tried so hard! I was so desperate! Desperate to make everything work, to make everything right! It's the truth, the ugly truth. It was the hardest thing I ever had to deal with before in my entire life!" Midoriya shouted, snot bubbles forming as he pulled at his green hair.

"It's okay, I'm here," Ochaco reassured.

"I love this place, I care about it so much. It was important to me! So I tried my best to protect it, but I kept on failing, over and over and over again. I was so scared…so scared! I-I didn't want those horrible red eyes looking at me like that ever again! I felt so helpless, so weak, and I hated myself so much for feeling that way!"

**6:30 PM**  
All Might and Nezu, after getting a tip from an anonymous student, went to check up on Midoriya to see what was wrong. When they arrived however, they saw his friend, Uraraka Ochaco, lending him her lap, as he was passed out from what seemed like crying.

"Shhh. He just fell asleep," the gravity girl warned sweetly.

"Is Young Midoriya alright?" All Might asked, perplexed on what had happened.

"I hope so, now that he let out all of his emotions. He was so…afraid of something bad happening to him. But I can't imagine that someone at this school would harm him, don't you?" Uraraka asked, looking at her principal for confirmation.

"You're-you're absolutely right," Nezu agreed, ushering himself and the Pro Hero out of the room before being stopped by Ochaco.

"Principal Nezu, can you make sure nothing happens to him? I mean, I know nothing’s going to happen to him, but he means a lot to me and…I know he's a good person," the girl asked, hope in her eyes.

After giving the request a thought, Nezu said with confidence, "I can guarantee it, Uraraka." 

Walking away, once they got out of earshot, All Might asked, "You were going to hurt the boy, weren’t you?”

”I have an explanation-“

The Pro Hero stopped the chimera in his tracks (fairly easily), with a distasteful look upon his face. “He’s a student, one of _**our**_ students! How could you possibly think to do something evil to a child like that?!

"I was _considering_ it, if you’d let me finish,” Nezu countered, venom creeping into his voice, “Midoriya smells like _him_. You know how many months I suffered under that monster.”

”I do, Nezu, but that does not justify-“

”Of course it does! I had so many horrible ideas on how to hurt him, all because it would hurt All for One!”

”Then how come you promised that girl, Uraraka, your word? You’re not a man who goes back on your promises,” Toshinori reminded him.

“I felt like…she knew him the most," the chimera responded, sidestepping the big man.

”Since when have you gone with your gut?”

”Don’t make me regret it, All Might, or I might change my mind,” Nezu threatened, walking off down the hall to get back to his office.

**Day Three, Wednesday, 6:40 AM  
** Midoriya felt so, so much better. All that emotion, all that pain that he suppressed was mostly free. As he drank his coffee in the common room, Mina and Jiro had a huge grin on their face.

"Hey, Green! How was the lap pillow?" the pink-skinned girl asked, struggling to contain her laughter. She broke as soon as Jiro did, which was shortly after her question.

"Fuck me…" Izuku whispered, a blush forming on his cheeks as he drank. As he sipped, Midoriya saw his crush, who came up to him.

"How are you feeling?" Uraraka asked, a darker blush on her face than usual.

"I'm feeling better! I'm sorry that-no, actually, thank you, for everything," Izuku amended, truly happy that she helped him out.

"Any time, Izu," she said with a grin.

** Day Six, Saturday, 11:00 AM  
** Midoriya took a deep breath, knowing what he had to do, but that didn't mean it was going to be easy. He walked into the odd-smelling cafeteria, counting down from ten before 'Lunch Rush' appeared.

"U-um, Midoriya Izuku, right?" Lunch Rush nervously asked the shadow manipulator. 

"Yes, Lunch Rush?" Izuku replied, playing along.

"S-someone got you some lunch a-already," he stuttered, "The person d-didn't give a name, just that they were a 'secret admirer'. D-do you want it?"

"Would my secret admirer be a tall, black-haired girl with dark crimson red eyes?" Midoriya asked, nailing down all of Kyoko's distinguishing features.

"H-how did you know?! I-I mean, maybe? Why?" 'Lunch Rush' asked nervously, shifting weight from side to side.

"I keep seeing her following me. I'd like to know her a bit more, up close, you know?" 

"A-actually, I-uh, did see her! She said that she was going to your, um, dorm after delivering your food," Lunch Rush lied, excitement hidden behind the mask. While feeling bad that she'd lied, that lie would soon become the truth as soon as Midoriya stopped talking to 'Lunch Rush'.

Hook, line, and sinker. "That's great! I'm sorry, Lunch Rush, but I got to run! I need to meet her!" Midoriya apologized, taking the bento box and running out of the cafeteria. Once he was out of sight, he jumped into a shadow, warping himself back to the dorms, specifically the common room. Sitting down on one of couches, he began to bide his time. 

After waiting for a solid five minutes, Toritsuka Kyoko came walking into the room from out of sight, trying (but failing) to look calm. When she saw Midoriya, she squealed in delight.

"I-I, uh, Midoriya Izuku! It's so exciting to finally meet you!" she happily admitted, getting up close and personal with him.

"So, you're the girl who's been stalking me?" Izuku asked, trying his best to manage his fear of her.

"Stalking is such a strong word. I prefer 'admiring from a distance'," she corrected, jumping onto the seat next to him. Freezing up slightly, he forced himself to relax.

"Do you…like me?" Deku asked hesitantly, already having an answer. She suddenly grabbed his cheeks, forcing him to look into her crazed eyes.

"Like you? I love you! You're so cool and amazing! And oh so much combat potential! If I didn’t have a job to do right now, I’d be talking to you allllllll day!" she gave the greenette a quick peck on the cheek, shuddering as she did so, and then disappeared through a shadow.

"That…could have gone worse," Midoriya thought aloud, scared of why she likes _him_ of all people. 

**8:00 PM  
** _Knock knock._ Uraraka, pausing her anime, stood up and opened her door, pleasantly surprised to see Izuku there.

"Oh, what's up, Izu?" she asked, curious as to why he'd be here.

"Um, Uraraka, w-would you like to…go on a date tomorrow?" Midoriya asked, looking down on the ground as he did so. "I-I know it's out of the blue, but I didn't want to make a promise I couldn't keep, so I-"

"Yes, I'd love to!" Ochaco stopped his rambling, surprising the both of them. Deku's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree as he thanked her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be all about their date, and after that the U.S.J. Incident Arc.  
> I have a Discord server. Join, if you want to:  
> https://discord.gg/mcrwEMY


	11. The First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s Midoriya’s first date with Uraraka. What could possibly go wrong?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, when this chapter is released, it will be the one-month anniversary of this fic! With over 3,700 viewers, I cannot begin to tell all of you how truly grateful I am! Especially the people that comment, I love reading what you guys say. I do read each and every comment, so don't think I won't notice you.  
> It being the anniversary of this fic, how about we give our favorite formerly Quirkless cinnamon roll Midoriya Izuku some much deserved R&R time?

**Day Six, Saturday, 8:10 PM  
** ”Uraraka, what’s with the ‘emergency’ meeting, _ribbit_?” Tsu asked, all of the girls crammed into the gravity girl’s room. She, along with Mina, Jiro, Momo, and Hagakure sat on Ochaco's bed, impatiently waiting for what the girl had to say. All of them were wearing their pajamas, each one wearing a different color.

With a deep breath, the girl in question squealed out, "Midoriya asked me out!" Simultaneously, all the girls gasped in surprise and joy.

"Oh my God!"

"Finally, I was wondering when he'd do it!"

"When did this happen?!"

"It happened not even ten minutes ago! He just asked me out of the blue," Uraraka admitted, twirling her brunette hair, a deep blush on her cheeks. "W-w-w-what do I wear?! What do I say?! What do I-"

"Uraraka, just _chill_ out," Mina interrupted, standing up and giving the panicking girl a shoulder massage. She was quite good at it as the brunette slowly relaxed. "You just got to be yourself, girl."

"Yeah, just be yourself, but don't forget to wear something nice," Jiro added.

"Don't forget your hygiene either, _ribbit_ , as he may kiss you," Tsu bluntly stated, causing Ochaco to blush a deep cherry red at the thought. The girls talked late into the night, so late (and so loud) that Aizawa had to tell them to go back to their rooms.

**Day Seven, Sunday, 7:00 AM  
** Midoriya opened his eyes, scared, yet hopeful, that everything went right. He checked his phone, and let out a cry of relief when he saw that it was finally Sunday (again). "Yay! What are we celebrating, Izuku?" came the voice of his stalker sitting in his desk chair, genuine happiness in her eyes.

Immediately, Deku activated his gravity alteration Quirk, but instead of slamming his intruder into the wall like last time, he instead kept her suspended in the air. "Jesus Christ, Toritsuka, what are you doing in my room?!" he screamed, deeply disturbed. Kyoko was wearing a casual black t-shirt with the a bright yellow caption reading 'K + I', along with faded ripped jeans.

"You clever little thing! I'm proud of you, Izu! As for your question, I like watching you sleep," Toritsuka replied easily, as if that wasn't creepy as hell. 

"First, please don't call me Izu. Second, have you been watching me this entire week?" Midoriya questioned, fear creeping its way into his voice.

"Why, of course I have, my love!" the stalker said madly, her eyes shining with a perverted love, "I almost always watch you, even when you lived with your mom."

The time traveler blanched at hearing that, his face rapidly losing color. _"She's been watching over me?! For how long?!"_ he thought to himself, trying to not think through all the ramifications of that simple sentence. "Can you…not do that? Please?" Izuku asked, knowing that it should/would be fruitless. 

"Hmm, if you put me down and give me one good reason as to why I should stop following the love of my life, then _maybe_ I'll stop...temporarily," the crimson-eyed girl giggled out. With a weary sigh, the greenette lowered her to the ground, then turned off his Quirk.

"Um, I have good control over my Quirk, so maybe I could make you fly?" Midoriya scratched his hair, hoping his suggestion would appease her.

"How about a kiss?" Kyoko suggested, her face lighting up at the prospect. She sat down hurriedly next to her love and closed her eyes, waiting for her kiss.

 _"I-I-I can't kiss her! I barely know her, AND she's killed me!"_ Deku thought, a deep blush forming on his cheeks. Thinking fast, he did the first romantic act of his life that came to mind that wasn't a kiss: he grabbed her hands.

Kyoko's eyes shot open, a cherry red blush also forming on her cheeks, "I-Izuku! You're so scandalous!" 

"N-no, I'm not! D-do we have a deal?" the male shadow manipulator asked. With a dreamy nod, the girl left through a shadow, leaving behind Midoriya to begin prepping for his date.

**7:30 AM  
** Stepping out of the shower, Izuku began to dry himself off with a white towel. Once he was dry, he took out his toothbrush, in the process catching a look at his face. Instead of his signature small smile, it had a nervous frown adorning it. Midoriya felt like it wasn't because of his first ever date, rather the events leading up to it.

Shaking his head, he eventually finished his daily routine. He turned off the light of his bathroom and began to look through his drawers to find a nice outfit to impress Uraraka. With an exasperated sigh, he realized that he _did_ have a nice outfit, all the back at his mom's house. _"Fuck me! It's going to take too long to get there and make it back in time. If only I could just teleport there...wait, why can't I?"_ A devilish smile on his face, Midoriya ran back into the dark bathroom, disappearing into the shadowy abyss with a deep breath. _"Okay, I really got to figure out what to call this place. No, focus!"_ the greenette berated to himself. He focused on the details of his old room; how the wood floor felt beneath his feet, how sunlight would spill onto his sleeping form in the mornings, his old closet. 

The familiar feeling of being whisked away washed over him. With an odd sense of certainty, Midoriya knew he was back in his room, just in a very narrow cramped space. He tried to feel his way around his new surroundings until he realized in disbelief that he couldn't move. _"Are you fucking kidding me? Traveling too far causes paralysis?!_ _T_ _he irony is baffling."_ Time stood still, at least to the trapped teen. It could have been minutes or hours before the teen felt his body respond to him again. Testing out his fingers, and after confirming they worked, he pushed open the container he was in, and saw that it was his old closet. _"So that's where I was..."_ With a shake of his head, Midoriya looked through his old drawers, smiling when he found a green dress shirt and casual faded jeans. The boy changed in a flash, knowing time was of the essence. The shadow manipulator ran to the bathroom, and after seeing that he looked nice, he walked slowly out to the living room. His mom was nowhere to be found, much to his disappointment. _"S_ _he's probably out food shopping. I'll just leave her a note."_

He found an old piece of paper and wrote about his time at U.A. (without the dying part), finishing his message with an 'I love you'.

**10:00 AM  
** Uraraka patiently sat on her bed, waiting for a certain green-haired boy to take her out on their first date. If she was being honest with herself, she was absolutely terrified. _"What if he doesn't like what I'm wearing? Or what if I act weird?! Am I acting weird right now?!"_ she mentally asked herself, her heart rate spiking. Ochaco took in a deep breath, trying her best to steel her jittery nerves.

_KNOCK KNOCK!_

Jumping in fright, she quickly got up to her door and opened it, seeing Midoriya sweating a bit, a shy expression his face. "H-hey, Izu! You ready?" Uraraka greeted. _"Real smooth, girl. As smooth as sandpaper."_

"I-um, yeah! I am! You're gonna love the place I chose. But first, do you trust me?" Izuku asked, holding out his right hand, a question in his eyes.

"I...I do. I trust you," Ochaco confidently replied. Her date gave a wide smile before suddenly his eyes changed to an icy blue color. Without warning, he picked her up bridal style as if she was as light as a feather. Uraraka gave a short yelp of surprise.

"You might want to take a deep breath," the time traveler suggested, with the girl heeding his advice. After a moment of surveying Ochaco's room, Midoriya jumped into a shadow.

The brunette looked around in awe, curious and surprised about her surroundings. But as quickly as they came, they left, arriving in front of a café. It was bustling with couples, both young and old. 

"How...did you do that?" Uraraka asked, flabbergasted. The boy gave her a smile before stating, "I'll tell you all about it, but how about some coffee first?"

**10:15 AM  
** "Any questions?" Midoriya asked, taking a sip of his chocolate-tasting coffee. He had just explained most of his powers to his crush, not to mention where he got them from. Ochaco looked at him as if he asked a stupid question.

"I have SO many questions! Can you copy All Might's power?! What about mine?" she asked, excitedly. 

"I'm pretty sure I _could_ , but I'm also pretty sure I _can't_ ," Izuku explained, trying his best to be honest without hurting himself. For some odd reason his crush gave a pout, almost as if she was a bit mad. Midoriya smiled at that, making her pout even harder.

"Aww, why? How come you can copy Gravity Man but not me?"

 _"Because I know you'd **never** hurt me,"_ he thought clearly in his mind, conviction coursing through him. Instead he replied back with, "I have a feeling my rules don't allow it, Uraraka."

For some inexplicable reason, the gravity girl felt that her last name was too formal for him. "U-um, you can c-call me Ochaco, if you want. Only when we're alone, I mean!" she stated, her blush getting more pronounced. The time traveler looked surprise, which quickly turned into gratitude.

"Alright, I will, _Ochaco_ ," the shadow manipulator answered, enunciating her name. 

"A-anyways, since we're speaking about how you got your powers and everything," Ochaco tried to broach, being as tactful as possible, "Who's this Kyoko? Why does she like you?"

Izuku immediately took a swig of his drink, not caring how his throat burned as the hot liquid traveled to his stomach. _"How do I best phrase this without worrying the fuck out of her?"_ he thought to himself as he audibly swallowed. "I-I, um, why do you ask, Ochaco?"

Uraraka made a small squeak of embarrassment before lying, "N-no reason..." She, like the boy before her, immediately took a swig of her vanilla-flavored ice coffee.

A light bulb went off in the greenette's head, seeing an opportunity to avoid the question, "You're jealous, aren't you?!"

"N-n-n-n-no! I'm totally n-not jealous at all, Izu!" the gravity girl stammered out, failing to convince him. "I-I just don't see why she'd like you." Midoriya winced at hearing that, not knowing why that hurt.

"Ochaco, it only took four weeks, but I didn't know you were the jealous type of girl," Midoriya smirked, grinning ear to ear.

"I am not! And what do you mean four weeks?" she questioned, confusion on her face.

"Don't worry about it, it's a little inside-joke I have with myself," he waved his hand, trying to dissuade her to continue her questioning. "Did you have a good time?"

His crush gave him a nod before saying, "Yes, it was wonderful, Izu."

**11:00 AM  
** "We're back," Midoriya told Uraraka, stating the obvious. They had shadow-jumped back to the girl's room, and both realized at the same time that they were alone. In the same room. And no one knew they were back. The two of their faces changed to a bright cherry red thinking of what they could possibly do together. Alone...

"I had a really good time, Ochaco! I-I should probably go..." Izuku stammered out, not wanting to seem like a creeper to her.

"W-wait!" Uraraka stopped him, pulling him back by the wrist. They were face-to-face with each other, able to feel their breaths on each other. With an embarrassed smile, the brunette gave a quick kiss to her date on the lips. Which lasted for so long that they both came back gasping for air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is interested in making art for this fanfiction and would like to see it in one of the chapters down the road, join my Discord server! You'll, of course, be given credit with the art.  
> https://discord.gg/mcrwEMY  
> I know I didn’t type it out last chapter, but I love the lap pillow scene in Re:ZERO so much; it makes me feel sad and relieved at the same time whenever I rewatch it.  
> By the way, I accidently discovered that clicking the middle mouse button over a tab closes it (at least on Chrome/Windows). Guess what tab I was on when that happened?


	12. Two Maids, a Monster, and their Master

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aizawa and Thirteen decide to take the students to the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. Some unsavory characters decide to join uninvited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On the advice of one of you (slycooper20), I've decided to add more unexpected divergences to make this story more…interesting. Expect the unexpected.  
> Also, this fic is now part of a (currently) two part series. The other part, (link down below), is a non-canon What-If story. It is NOT required to read.  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/27055027/chapters/66054637  
> 

**Monday, 12:00 PM  
** Izuku patiently sat in his seat, waiting for Mr. Aizawa to appear. Everyone was conversing with each other, even Bakugo, who was talking with Kirishima. The only student who was just sitting by their lonesome was Shinso. 

"Hey, Shinso? Wanna talk?" Midoriya asked, hoping he could convince the tired teen to be his friend again in this timeline. The purple-haired boy yawned in response, smacking his lips in the process. 

"What is it?" Shinso asked gruffly, somewhat surprised that someone initiated conversation first with him. Back at his old school, it was common for no one to talk to him, usually for weeks on end unless absolutely necessary. This also applied to his home life, so he somewhat begrudgingly accepted it.

"Just...thought you looked like you needed a friend," the greenette sheepishly answered.

The brainwasher raised an eyebrow, "Look, I appreciate it, Midoriya, but if you knew what my Quirk was, you wouldn't be talking to me."

"Why's that?" Midoriya asked, pretending not to know.

The boy sighed, shaking his head, _"If I just lied to him, I could have a friend for at least awhile...no, it'd hurt too much after he leaves me, like all the others,"_ Shinso sadly thought to himself. "My Quirk is called Brainwashing, which allows me to force anyone to do whatever I want, as long as it's simple."

After patiently waiting for him to continue, Midoriya asked, "...is that it? Does it kill the victims after they're brainwashed?" He already knew his Quirk, but he wanted to fuck with him a bit.

Shinso nodded, satisfied with the answer, before giving a double take after he processed what he just heard. "N-no...it doesn't kill anyone."

"Then why would I be scared of you?"

"I-I can _literally_ force you to do anything!" the tired teen clarified, not really knowing _why_ he was trying to make himself seem evil.

"But are you going to? It seems to me like you're just sick of being misunderstood. As far as I understand, if you wanted to be evil, you wouldn't be here right now," Midoriya guessed, explaining his thought process. 

"So...let me get this straight: You don't think I'm evil? Even with my Quirk being like a villain's?" the mind manipulator asked, slightly hoping he would hear exactly what he wanted to hear ever since he turned four.

"Shinso, I don't think any Quirk is good _OR_ evil, just how you use it. Take All Might for example. If the number one Pro Hero started totaling cities and causing massive property damage, would his Quirk be considered evil?" Izuku asked, imagining that scary idea.

"I...I don't-" the purple-haired teen was cut off when the door opened, showing the perpetually tired Aizawa Shota walking into the room, his hands in his pockets as he yawned.

 _"Now that I think about it, are they related?"_ Midoriya thought silently to himself, seeing the many similarities between his teacher and his former friend.

"Good afternoon, class. I'm too tired right now to go over a lesson right now, or to really give a damn. So instead, all of you will decide on a class representative," Aizawa yawned out.

Immediately the class broke out into chaos. 

"Pick me! Pick me!"

"No, I want to do it!"

"I'll be the leader!"

"Fuck off, extras! I'll be the leader!"

"Silence, everyone!" came the loud, booming shout of Iida. Everyone seemingly listened, except Bakugo who was telling him to 'shut your fuckin' mouth, Foureyes!'. He stood in a hero's pose before readjusting his glasses, the light reflecting off them. The teacher, seeing an opportunity, put on orange high-grade sound suppressing headphones, and laid down on the floor to nap. 

"The job of a class representative is serious, as it's the responsibility of one person to lead all twenty of us. You do not simply 'want' it! It's a thing of trust, one that is established over the course of many months, if not years," Iida explained, chopping into the air. "However! Since we have barely gotten to know each other over one week, I say we establish the leader using a traditional Western system: Democracy.” Nods came all around, with only Bakugo disagreeing, saying that form of voting was 'rigged'.

"Iida has a point, _ribbit_ , as we don't really know each other," Tsu said, the glasses wearing teen approving her message.

"Say what you guys want, I feel like I know quite a bit about all of you," Midoriya stated confidently, everyone giving the greenette a weird look.

**12:25 PM  
** Iida finally had finished writing down on the blackboard the election results. The top two people who got the highest amount of votes were Midoriya (with three votes) and Uraraka (with five). Deku and Uravity had their mouths open in disbelief, questioning who voted for them and why. Izuku looked over to Kirishima and Kaminari, who both gave a smile and thumbs up. Uraraka looked over to Mina, Momo, Tsu, and Toru, who all gave a thumbs up with a smile as well.

"Who the fuck voted for the Deku, of all people?!" Bakugo spat out, enraged that he couldn't lead the class. Ochaco immediately began to nervously whistle an old lullaby. 

"It's okay, Iida. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay..." Tenya muttered to himself, barely able to hold in his disappointment.

"Why wouldn't you vote for yourself, Iida?" Todoroki asked, confused as to why he let the opportunity slip away.

"It wouldn't be honorable..." came the silent reply.

"Then I guess the class rep will be Uraraka, with her boyfriend, Midoriya, being the deputy class rep," Aizawa casually (and tiredly) stated. The two class reps looked at their teacher with a bright blush. The teacher in turn gave a shrug, simply explaining, "News travels around here as quick as _acid_." 

The two gravity manipulators gave a death glare to Mina, who began to double over laughing.

Giving the pink-skinned girl a disappointed look, Izuku started quaking in place. _"Why the hell am I scared?! I've **literally** have fought living, moving sludge! Three times, in fact."_

**4:00 PM  
** "All I'm saying is that I don't know if I'm a good choice to be a deputy class rep," the time traveler clarified, taking a bite out of his chocolate bar. He, along with Uraraka, Iida, and Shinso were in the common room, all having a snack/drink and discussing whatever.

"I have a feeling that you’ll be fine," Shinso tried to reassure, drinking his Dr. Pepper. He would've had a Pepsi, but they ran out awhile ago.

"Why?" Deku asked, mumbling through the chocolate.

"You're confident, and nothing dissuades you. Plus...you've got a way with words, like a leader would. Or, deputy leader, in your case," the purple-haired teen explained, feeling slightly embarrassed for giving out a compliment.

"What about me?! I got chosen for regular class rep!" Ochaco argued, taking a spoonful of strawberry yogurt sadly.

"Like Shinso said for Midoriya, I personally believe you'd be a good choice for a leader, which is why I voted for you earlier," Iida admitted to the brunette, eating his protein bar.

"Wait, you're the fifth vote? But, why me?" she asked, much like her date before her.

Tenya sat back in the couch, a slight smile tugging its way to his lips, "Every good leader needs to be able to help lift the mood of their group. My brother, Iida Tensei, is kind of like that," he explained before backtracking, "N-not that you wouldn't make a good leader, Midoriya!"

"I-it's fine, Iida! I'm not made of glass!" Everyone, besides Iida and Izuku, gave a hearty laugh.

**Tuesday, 12:50 PM  
** It was the next day, and after going over the emergency broadcasting levels in the school, the teacher yawned out, "Everyone, get your hero costumes on, or don't, as it may impede your abilities later. Originally, we were going to do this with myself, All Might, and one other person, but the number one Pro Hero doesn't seem to be number one at time management," Eraserhead told his class, pressing a button on his desk as he spoke. Much like their first day at school, the walls opened to reveal their costumes.

"What are we doing, sir?!" Sero asked, rising out of his seat a little.

"Good question. We're doing a rescue exercise. Expect disasters, ship wrecks and the like," waving his hand in the air in an uncaring motion. "What are you waiting for? We don't have all day to change," Aizawa reminded. "Once you're done, meet me out in the hallway. From there, we'll take a bus that'll take us to an off-campus location."

**1:10 PM  
** After a majority of the students changed, including Midoriya, they all got onto the blue bus. After a bit of technical difficulties, they managed to finally arrive at the off-campus location, dropping off the class of 1-A and their teacher. It was shaped like a giant dome, easily over 200 meters long. Oddly enough, a person in a bulky space suit with quite thin legs wearing yellow shoes seemed to be waiting for them.

"Oh my God!" Uraraka suddenly shouted, excited. "You're the Space Hero, Thirteen!"

"I have a fan? It's very nice to meet all of you," Thirteen greeted the students. "Let's head inside, as I look forward to working with you!"

Everyone, especially Midoriya and Ochaco, followed behind, ecstatic to see another Pro Hero. Inside the building, all the students began to 'ooh' and 'ahh' at their surroundings, causing Aizawa to suppress a small chuckle.

"Welcome to the U.S.J, short for Unforeseen Simulation Joint! This building was specifically built by me to help train students, like you, to better utilize your Quirks in accidents and disasters," Thirteen explained, stretching out her arms. "If you couldn't already tell, I built it in the image of Universal Studios, as I loved that place when I visited.

"On the topic of visiting, Shota, where's All Might? He was supposed to help me greet the students."

"Didn't you get my message?" Aizawa tiredly replied, yawning. "He's late, probably saving a bus full of kittens or orphans."

"My phone is literally inside my suit, Shota, how am I supposed to reach it?" Thirteen asked, waving her hands in front of herself. "Well, I can roll with that. Students!" she shouted, clapping her gloved hands together to get their attention, "I have one thing to tell you before we begin...or was it two? Wait, let me count," the Pro Hero said as she began to count on her fingers. By the time she reached her seventh digit, the class had a look of sheer horror on their face. "I have a lot to teach you, but my very first lesson has to be on how you use your Quirk. Because believe me when I say that I have seen a fair amount of disasters caused by the misuse of a Quirk, especially by teenagers. I'm betting that at least one of you could easily kill someone with just one second with their Quirk, right?" Thirteen asked, Midoriya shaking his head in confirmation. "My Quirk, Blackhole, as you are all aware, is used primarily to clean up the messes left in the wake of a big fight. But, it could easily kill anyone by accident."

Everyone shifted uncomfortably upon hearing that. "I know, it's a lot of responsibility. I hope when you are all done with this lesson you will know that your Quirks are not meant to harm others, but to instead help others. Thank you for listening," the Pro Hero said, bowing in the process. 

"Bravo! Bravo, Mademoiselle!"

"That was wonderful!"

"Alright, alright, enough with the praise. Class reps, get everyone in a-" The lights dimmed, giving everything in the large building a slight shadow. Everyone began to look around in alarm before they all noticed the spinning purplish-black vortex opening up at the fountain in the middle of the U.S.J, with a pair of heterochromatic eyes looking out.

"Everyone! Gather together and don't move! We have an intruder!" Aizawa shouted, getting into a defensive position as he put on his yellow goggles. "Thirteen, protect the students!"

"Understood, Shota!"

"The hell is that?" Kirishima asked, his eyes wide and alarmed. Coming out of the portal were tens of villains, most with mutant Quirks. Roughly thirty of them came pouring out, with the last three being a pair of maids with differently colored hair, and the other one being this grotesque bird-looking monster with its brain exposed.

"Sir, is this a test?" Iida asked worriedly, fixing his glasses as he was shaking hard.

"This is not a drill. Those are genuine villains. Everyone, I authorize the use of your Quirks if necessary!" Aizawa shouted to his class.

"I-I can't get a signal, Teach!" Kaminari worriedly told the Pro Hero, trying to use his communication earpiece to contact someone.

"Well, they may be foolish, but they're not stupid..." Todoroki advised.

One last person came out of the portal, a large smile adorning his white face. He was wearing an eccentric coat that touched the ground, with purple clothes that resembled more of a clown than a villain. 

* * *

**1:30 PM  
** "Thirteen and Eraserhead, hmmmm? Ram, where's All Might?" the clown asked the pink-haired maid.

The servant in question bowed down at a sharp 90° angle before saying in a apologetic monotonous voice, "I am sorry, Master. The syllabus said the hero would be here."

"My, it's quite all right, Ram. After all, we can still test our Master's Nomu on the students," the clown manically smiled, directing it to the students. "Still, I went through all this trouble to bring this many people, and I don't even get to see an entertaiiiiiing fight? How imprudent of him."

"Oi, scumbags!" Bakugo screamed out, calling the attention of the main villain. The villain lazily directed his gaze upon the blonde, rolling his eyes because he could barely hear him, as he was at least 50 meters away. "You think you can take US down?! If you fuckers think you can take ME or this class of extras down, you got another thing comin'!" Kacchan declared, waving his hands to his classmates. 

"Oh my God, can you shut up, man?!" Shinso asked the impulsive boy. Any other time he would have been amused at the amount of balls the kid has, but he didn't want to die today, if possible.

"Sister, sister, what a foul mouth that child has. Do you think he kisses his mother with that mouth?" the blue-haired maid, Rem, asked her sister in mock horror. Unlike their master, their hearing rivaled that of Jiro's.

"Rem, Rem, I don't believe he can, as she must have abandoned him long ago because of it," Ram replied, speaking in the same demeaning tone.

The blonde, unsure whether or not they heard him (as he couldn't hear them), decided to begin walking towards the pair of maids, explosions emanating from his hands before both Midoriya and Aizawa stopped him, the former changing the blonde's gravity to stop him from moving and the latter activating his Quirk to make him pay attention.

"Katsuki, stand down..." Shota lowly said, leaving no room for argument. "Iida, you need to run. You're the fastest out of all of us, you need to tell the pros, now. Thirteen, keep the students safe," Aizawa calmly stated, cracking his knuckles before jumping down to fight.

"Wait! His Quirk can't turn all of them off! We...we need to help him!" Izuku loudly shouted to his class, worry etched onto his face for his teacher. Tenya, snapping out of shock from hearing his friend, tried to make a mad dash to the door before being stopped by the greenette. "Iida, this is going to sound so weird, but I have a way for you to get to the school faster. Do you trust me?"

"Of course!" Iida declared with no hesitation. 

"Okay, I'll explain later, but jump into my shadow!" Midoriya told the armor-clad teen.

"...what?" Iida asked, confused. He was expecting, well, _anything_ but that.

"Just jump in like you're going into the deep end of a pool, and make sure you hold your breath!" Izuku tried to reassure the robotic teen. "Please?!"

"I-I understand, Midoriya!" Iida took a deep breath before obediently jumping into the boy's shadow, disappearing from sight. 

"What the..." Todoroki began, his words failing him. 

_"Fuck me! If only the lights went out, I could get everyone else out of here at the same time!"_ Midoriya thought bitterly, _"And I can't take out the lights because that clown bastard will know it's a plan for something! God damn it!"_

Seeing that the greenette wasn't/couldn't do...whatever he just did for everyone else, Thirteen did a quick shake of her head to clear her mind before announcing to the class, "Everyone else, evacuate!" Wordlessly, everyone began to make a break for it before a purplish-black portal opened in front of the exit, with the main villain, his maids, and the monster exiting very shortly thereafter. The time traveler, upon seeing the villains up close, took a step back in fear. Kacchan and Ochaco, upon seeing this, noticeably took a step towards the greenette protectively.

"Did nooooo one teach you kids some proper manners?" the Warp Villain asked as he fiddled with his white gloves for a moment, as if they were too tight. "I'm sooo sorry to come uninvited, dreadful etiquette, I know. But I simply could not resist the chance. It's nice to meet you all. Since we're currently trying to gain some infamy, we call ourselves the League of Villains. It maaaaaay be bold of me to do so, but I have invited myself here, along with my associates, to the illustrious hall of heroes, U.A. High School," the clown calmly explained, almost like a gentleman. He looked at the class of 1-A, scanning each and every student, looking for someone.

Summoning some courage, Deku shouted to the man, "W-who are you and what do you want?!" He immediately regretted said courage when the heterochromatic villain stared at him, smiling widely as he did so.

"Ah, I finally found you, Izuku. To answer your question, my name is Roswaal L. Mathers, and I'm in need of your special Quirk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come join my Discord!  
> https://discord.gg/mcrwEMY


	13. Separated with Allies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An attack is happening at the U.S.J, and the leader wants Midoriya.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, especially Rem's lines, so I hope you enjoy.

**1:35 PM  
** The entirety of class 1-A, including the Space Hero, Thirteen, had their eyes on Midoriya Izuku after what the heterochromatic villain, Roswaal, had said. Each pair of eyes held fear and confusion, not to mention a tiny sliver of mistrust.

"Soooo, Midoriya-kun, I rather not have to hurt your, what's the word? Friends? Yes, friends, to get you. If you coooome quietly, I can assure you no harm will befall upon them," Roswaal promised, bowing before the greenette. "However, if you offer any resistance, I will have nooooo trouble-"

"CAN YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU GAY CLOWN?!" Bakugo interrupted the villain, spit flying from his mouth. Everyone glared at the blonde teenager with an incredulous expression. The two maids had an amused grin for a spilt second, before it turned into forced anger and resentment.

"What a bold boy you are. Rem, Ram, you two decide on what punishment you think he should suffer for his blatant disrespect," the villain commanded his underlings. Rem spoke first, her face barely holding her mask of neutrality. 

"Sister, sister, I believe he should be gelded for his insolence towards Master Roswaal."

"Rem, Rem, I believe that is much too kind for him. I say he should suffer the blood eagle _then_ gelded," Ram added, sadism pouring out of her. Deku felt chills run up his spine upon hearing the two maids discuss his friend's death. 

"Midoriya..." Shinso whispered to Izuku, barely moving his mouth like a ventriloquist, "why aren't you doing anything? You could throw him in the air."

"Master Roswaal, it seems a gnat is trying to inspire bravery in our tool," Ram spoke, locking eyes with Hitoshi. With a 'I'm sorry' expression on her face, she took a step towards the class.

"That's far enough!" Thirteen shouts at the maid holding up her right index finger at her. The pink-haired girl ignored her warning, wanting to end the fight as soon as possible. "I will use my Quirk!"

With a click, the cap came off, and a vortex of air springs out. As she screamed, Ram's skin began to chip away and fall off, getting sucked into Thirteen's mini black hole. Before she could retaliate, a large chain wrapped around her torso, pulling her out of the gravitational pull.

"Don't hurt her!" Rem spat out, clutching her dying sister in a tight protective hug. Despite only being in the Quirk's range for barely five seconds, her twin sister was in critical condition. Her breathing shallow, Ram was missing several sections of skin, some deep enough you could see bones that was slightly disintegrated. "You monster..."

"The hypocrisy here is stifling," Shinso remarked, giving a smug look to Rem. Bakugo gave a sadistic chuckle upon hearing the quip, unnerving his classmates. The Space Hero turned off her Quirk, unsure what to do.

"Don't you dare speak to us like-" the maid stopped suddenly, her eyes glazing over. 

"My name is Shinso Hitoshi, and you're on our side now. I'm your new master, but the only person you won't hurt is your sister," the tired teen commanded, yawning as he released his Quirk when he finished. Lucid once more, Rem stood up, her sister in her arms.

"Master Hitoshi, who can protect my sister?" she asked quickly, scanning the class of 1-A. 

"I'll do it," volunteered Kirishima. With a bit of reluctance, Rem parted ways with her sister. With her morning star in hand, she threw the ball and chain at her former master. A portal opened up before it hit him, being redirected to hit the top of Thirteen's suit helmet. It shattered upon impact, blood obscuring the hero’s face.

"Thirteen!" Uraraka shouted in distress. She rushed forward and caught her, using her Quirk to hold up the Space Hero more easily. 

"My, my, you dare hurt your master, Rem?" Roswaal asked, brushing off dust from his shoulders. "And after I took you both in from that horrible fire."

The blue-haired maid shook her head, "No, you’re not my master anymore. You didn’t even _try_ to save my sister. I've always hated you, you demented 'gay clown'," Rem coldly stated, borrowing the blonde's words to perfectly describe the villain as she glared. 

"Oh myyyyyyy, how long have you felt like this?" the clown asked, tilting his head in bemusement.

"Ever since you threatened my sister all those years ago," Rem angrily told her former master, shaking her head with suppressed rage.

"I grow tired of this," the heterochromatic villain dismissively waved in their direction, opening up many portals. "Have fun dealing with my underlings. Consider it a training exercise, students. And you, Rem, enjoy the treat I'll send your way." Suddenly, portals began to inhale them, separating them all to different corners of the U.S.J, their screams amusing Roswaal.

**1:42 PM  
** Midoriya, Bakugo, and Uraraka all fell into a heap onto a road, confused and scared on where they were. Before anyone could dust themselves off, Izuku used his gravity Quirk to lift both of his friends up to their feet before doing the same to himself.

"Thanks, Deku," Ochaco told the greenette, blushing slightly.

"I-it's no b-big deal, Uraraka!" Midoriya stuttered out, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. 

"There's no time to flirt, god damn it!" Kacchan growled out, psyching himself up. "Oi, Deku! Why the hell does that gay clown know you?!" 

"I don't know! I've never met the guy!" Izuku hastily tried to defend himself. After a deep searching glare from Bakugo, he tsked before throwing his hands up into the air. 

"Um, guys," Uraraka squeaked out, "where are we?" Upon hearing the question, everyone took a look of their location. It appeared they were in a very damaged urban neighborhood, with many windows cracked and/or broken. Several buildings around them looked ready to collapse with just a sneeze. "W-what should we do?!"

"You heard your girlfriend, Nerd, the fuck do we do?" Bakugo gruffly asked, impatiently tapping his foot.

"What?! Why me?" Midoriya asked, confused. _"Kacchan should be much better leading us than me."_

"Didn't you make a fuckin' baker's dozen of notebooks about strengths and weaknesses of heroes?! As much as I hate to admit it, we need a nerd brain, Deku."

 _"Was that a back-handed compliment?"_ Midoriya thought, blinking rapidly in confusion. Shaking his head, he began to mutter to himself rapidly, "WehavenoideawhatorwhoouropponentsaresoIneedtogettohighergroundand-" 

"Can you slow down, for fuck's sake?!" Bakugo punched Deku on his arm, knocking the time traveler out of his stupor.

"Oh, um! Yes, I can. I'm going to first survey the area from the air, as I can stay in the air the longest while also being quiet. After that, we then formulate a plan of attack," Midoriya calmly told his friends, determination in his eyes. With nods from the both of them, Izuku passively changed his gravity so he could see for hundreds of meters around him. He immediately saw a weird human-dog hybrid running to their location, with several men and women behind it. 

"Fuck." Izuku quickly got himself to the ground, telling them what he saw before they all ducked behind a building. 

"I'm not a close-range fighter, Izu. Any ideas?" the brunette asked, trying to be silent as she breathed hard in fear.

After thinking for a second, Midoriya replied, "Uraraka, go find something heavy and use your Quirk on it. It should make a deadly weapon," he hypothesized. 

"Got it." With a nod of her head, she sneaked away to make an improvised weapon.

"Kacchan, you want to make the first move?" Izuku asked as he took out his metal spear, retracting the pointy end back into it, making it like the weapon that the fictional sidekick Robin used from the pre-Quirk days to help him fight.

With a feral grin, Bakugo jumped out of his hiding spot, attacking a green slime-like female with his fist while shouting, "DIE!". The punch got stuck in her torso, the Slime Lady giving a smug look before submerging the blonde with her slime, suffocating him.

A pissed off look on his face as he choked on the green slime, the explosive blonde tried to activate his Quirk but no spark would come. Midoriya gave out a concerned gasp for his friend as he jumped out of his hiding spot, taking out his metal spear (now staff) as he used a gravity-assisted swing to knock out a quadrupled-armed man. 

"Jesus fucking Christ, how strong is that kid?!" a man who looked like a lizard shrieked out to his companions. A stout and short woman stretched her arm to punch the gravity manipulator from several meters away, landing a solid hit. Spit flew from Izuku's mouth as he staggered, allowing the lizard man to slash the teen with his claws onto his chest.

"OW!" Midoriya shouted in agony, changing his pupils to an icy blue as he pushed them all away with gravity in anger, but making sure that Kacchan didn't get swept away. The blonde took a deep breath before coughing up slime. "Can you stop getting suffocated, Kacchan? I feel like a one-trick pony when I save you," Izuku asked with mocked annoyance. "What's this? The third time?"

"First, fuck off," Katsuki replied back, wiping saliva off his mouth, "Second, you've only 'saved' me twice. I could have done it myself, you fucking Deku. You just wanted the glory." Looking around him, he asked the greenette, "Where's Pink Cheeks?"

**1:42 PM, at the Central Plaza  
** Aizawa punched the snake woman in front of him, knocking her out in the process. He had to keep moving, he had to save his class, no matter what. But with each villain down, two more sprung in their place. 

A boulder of a man came charging towards Shota, and right before he could react a murky purplish-black portal opened over the large criminal. Confused, all the thugs and Eraserhead stopped what they were doing as a blue-haired maid and a tired teen fell onto the man, knocking him out almost instantaneously. The former landed gracefully on the floor while the latter ending up on his back on the ground, moaning in pain.

"Master Hitoshi, are you all right?" Rem asked her new master, looking over him with a worried expression.

"Don't worry about me," the mind manipulator told the blue-haired girl, standing himself up before dusting himself off.

 _"Master Hitoshi?"_ Aizawa thought over why the maid was calling one of his students 'master' before he realized the obvious answer. "Good thinking, Shinso," he told his student, barely suppressing his proud smile.

"Thanks, Teach. What's your name?" the lilac teen directed the question to the maid.

"My name is just Rem, Master," she answered meekly, bowing deeply in respect. 

"Alright, Rem, protect me and Mr. Aizawa from all harm," Shinso commanded, trying to figure out what the hell he was going to do. _"I'm in a goddamn battlefield, my Quirk isn't suited for this type of shit!"_

Rem nodded before throwing her ball and chain at the head of one of slower men, crushing it from force alone. He fell instantly as his head bust open, spewing its delicate contents to ground.

With a heavy sigh, Aizawa asked as he deadpanned, "Try not to kill them, they need to be alive, (unfortunately), to be put into jail." Shaking his head upon seeing her strength, he restrained an arachnid for a person. 

"That makes everything too...annoying," the maid answered, her face strained from concentration. She then shouted 'Al Huma', which made several ice spears fly from her left hand as she pierced a person with all of them. They fell onto their knees, dead before their face hit the floor.

"Rem, you heard the man. Also, find me a weapon you think I could handle," the tired teen commanded, trying his best to stay behind the very quick (and agile) maid. As soon as she heard this, the brainwashed girl took out a kitchen knife (from seemingly nowhere) and offered it to her new master.

"A knife...the fuck is a knife going to do against that?" Shinso asked, pointing at a large woman with a face of a scarred grizzly as she charged on all fours to attack them. With a sigh escaping the maid's mouth, she threw the knife expertly into the eye of the bear-woman, stopping the thing in its tracks as the villain yelped in pain. The blue-haired maid charged soon after, grabbing the head of bear-woman and kneeing her face in, knocking her out. Rem quickly ran back to her master's side, offering the knife once more.

"Showoff," Hitoshi remarked, shaking his head with a faint smile in disbelief on what this maid could do.

"I do my best to please, my sire," Rem curtsied, lifting her skirt ever so slightly with a cute grin.

"Yeah, yeah, that's sappy and all, but you two should get the hell out of here," Aizawa told the two of them, pointing to the large black monster barreling towards them. Its brain was exposed, and its beady little eyes showed no trace of intelligence.

Its scream sounded as if it was in pain as it echoed off every surface, etching fear into the heart of both hero and villain alike all around the U.S.J. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come join my Discord!  
> https://discord.gg/mcrwEMY


	14. A Shadowy GPS and Advice From a Different Timeline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Nomu attacks Aizawa, Rem, and Shinso; Uraraka is missing, and what about the other students?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We did it, boys and girls. Over 5,600 of you have read my story, and I can't say thank you enough.

**1:42 PM, at the Flood Zone  
** A white and red-haired teen fell hard onto what felt like a boat, dizzy from his portal trip. Looking around him, Todoroki saw Kaminari and Momo with him, equally hurt as him from their five foot fall.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" the electric user shouted in fear, holding his head in his hands. "We're dead! We're not going to make it! I-" he was interrupted from his anxiety filled horror when Momo thrusted a bottle full of pills in his face. "...huh?"

"It's anxiety medication. I just made it, take some," the creation girl suggested before the bottle was gently pulled away from her hand by the dual-Quirk user.

"I'd recommend not taking medicine that wasn't prescribed by your doctor, Kaminari. Believe me, it never works out," the boy cryptically said as he froze the bottle over with his right hand. With a confused look, the other two teens got up off the ground, seeing water all around them.

"I believe we're in a location designed to test aquatic disasters," Momo hypothesized, holding her chin in her hand. "Let me test something." Her hands in front of her chest, Yaoyorozu materialized a realistic-looking mannequin (that weirdly looked like a small, purple-haired midget). She then chucked the thing into the water with a scowl and it became immediately apparent that the smooth water wasn't as tranquil as it seemed; as it was eaten instantaneously. The two males looked at each other, sharing a look that both said 'don't ask'.

"Seeing that the water is filled with...villains? Something evil, at least. I have a plan, if you two boys want to hear it."

"Thank God, someone has an idea on how _not_ to die. Spill," the electric boy demanded, desperation evident on his face. Todoroki gave an eye roll, disappointed that his fellow classmate couldn't handle the pressure. Sure, it's not like Shoto wasn't scared, but if his father, Todoroki Enji, taught him anything throughout his entire existence it was that **nothing** could be worse than his father. He let a small shudder roll through him upon remembering what that man did to him before quickly snuffing out the memory, trying to focus to Momo's plan. It involved a ridiculously tall metal pole, a large rubber blanket, and all of their Quirks harmonizing together.

With a deep breath, Kaminari grabbed the metal pole from Yaoyorozu and placed it into the water. Momo and Todoroki got underneath the rubber blanket, shielding them as Kaminari shouted at the top of his lungs, “1,000,000 volts!”, as he released all the electricity in his body into the water. Screams were heard all around them as the aquatic villains got electrocuted. Hearing his cue, Shoto got out of the safety of the rubber blanket as he froze the surface level of the water around him.

Deep breaths were heard from Yaoyorozu and Todoroki, happy that their plan worked and that they were safe. Kaminari, meanwhile, was walking around in stupefaction, a grin on his face as he held out two thumbs ups. The two lucid teens began to chuckle at first before laughing in earnest, washing away their all fears and worries.

**1:54 PM, in the Ruins Zone  
** Midoriya Izuku took out his eye drops from a pouch on his costume, putting two drops into each eye. He couldn't afford to get devastating eye strain right now, not when his friend was missing. He and Kacchan were walking around the ruined urban neighborhood, searching for their friend Uraraka silently. Sweat began to form on both of the teen's foreheads, worried that she was injured or worse.

 _"If only I could just pinpoint her...wait,"_ as soon as he realized it, Midoriya facepalmed, forgetting how stupid he could really be.

"The fuck was that for?" Bakugo asked, annoyed that they stopped their search not even two minutes in. "We don't have all day, Deku, so spit it out."

"I _literally_ have a way to find **everyone** instantly," Izuku began, turning on his shadow Quirk, "Just...follow me and take a deep breath," the teen said, holding out his hand to the blonde. Kacchan tsked before begrudgingly taking it, being lead to a wall. Before he could even question anything, he was dragged into an inky abyss for a fraction of a second then suddenly gravity flipped and he and Midoriya had to climb their way out. From the looks of it, they were inside a mock-up of a normal house, barely destroyed. The childhood friends were inside a living room. Chairs were broken, on their side, or straight up unfinished. Izuku was just about to put a finger to his lips to show Kacchan to be quiet before the blonde took off, opening every door in search for Ochaco. With a sigh, Midoriya followed, prepared to back up him up if needed.

"Izu, I r-really need you..." a faint voice pleaded, sounding like they could cry at any moment. The greenette, knowing the risks, decided to follow the voice to a generic bathroom filled with blood. Inside was Thirteen, who was in critical conditional from her head being spilt open, and Uraraka was by the hero's side, clutching the gloved hand. Thirteen was on her back on the floor, with Uraraka sitting seiza style next to her.

"Ochaco?" Midoriya tentatively asked, not wanting to startle his girlfriend. After hearing her name, she grabbed him in a bear hug, struggling to hold in her tears. He reciprocated the hug, telling her softly, "It's all right, I'm here."

"I-I-I tried my b-best, but T-Thirteen, she...she won't..." the brunette tried to speak, barely able to get out a coherent sentence. The time traveler got out of the hug, holding the girl of his dreams head in his palms.

"Ochaco, I'm going to get you and Thirteen out of here, I promise," Midoriya said with conviction, hugging her one more time. "Use your Quirk to lift Thirteen, and go into that shadow," he instructed, pointing inside the slightly dark bathtub. After seeing her nod he said with a somber look in his eyes, "I can't come with you. I need to save everyone else." 

"But what if you die?!" the brunette questioned, her eyes begging him to change his mind. He shook his head and gave a small smile.

"Then I'll die as many times as I need to save all of you," Deku declared, the fear of death somehow absent from his eyes.

"I don't-" Uraraka was cut off when they heard a blood-curdling scream emanating from at least a 100 meters away. The two of them felt goosebumps run across their skin, fear coursing through their blood. In their scared stupor, they could swear they heard a loud voice scream 'THE FUCK WAS THAT?!' from somewhere else inside the house.

Her boyfriend bit his lips before gruffly stating, "You need to go now, Ochaco. I'm not losing you again," his voice leaving no room for argument. With a confused nod, she picked up Thirteen and stepped into the bathtub, disappearing into the void. Midoriya sighed, holding in his fear. Acting in fear went nowhere, so he took a deep breath, before screaming out, "KACCHAN!", feeling relieved to get some stress out.

"The fuck is it, Deku?!" Bakugo yelled back, annoyed. Izuku heard the explosive blond stomp down the stairs. "You found Pink Cheeks?"

"It's Ocha-Uraraka, Kacchan. Long story short, she and Thirteen are in a safe space now. You ready to fight whatever made that noise?" Midoriya asked his old friend.

"I'm always ready, nerd," Bakugo responded immediately, a sadistic grin on his face.

"I expected as much, but first we need to find a specific classmate for some support," the greenette said, a plan already formulating in his mind, "We need one of the strongest heavy hitters in the class: Todoroki Shoto."

**1:58 PM, at the Central Plaza  
** _"We're so fucked,"_ Shinso thought as he watched the black monster barrel towards them, his sweat building up on his forehead. Wiping the disgusting liquid away, he turned his head towards the blue-haired maid, who had a look of concentration on her face. "Hey, Rem, if you got a super powerful move, now would be a great time to use it," he suggested, scared out of his mind.

"Master Hitoshi, I'm afraid I can't do that, as everyone would die after I beat the Nomu," Rem casually stated, getting into a battle stance. The teacher and student gave an incredulous look before they both shook their head, as they had more pressing concerns. Aizawa twitched at hearing that word again, 'Nomu'.

"What exactly _is_ a 'Nomu'?" Shota asked, punching a small-time criminal who tried to sneak attack him. After seeing that...thing from so many meters away, he just had to know more.

"Mr. Aizawa, I know little about the Nomu but I do know it was designed to handle All Might," the maid supplied. Shota, upon hearing that, blanched in fear.

A gut-wrenching scream from the monster grabbed the trio's attention as it jumped into the air. Its muscles were threatening to burst from its skin as it landed, sending up rocks and pieces of earth from the epicenter. Its beady eyes, devoid of any intelligence, opened its beak, exposing an unnatural amount of teeth as it rushed for the teacher, its large hand outreached to crush his head.

Dodging swiftly to the side, Shota threw his capture weapon at the beast, wrapping the monster's arms to its side. It gave a grunt of annoyance before flexing its muscles, the Nomu easily breaking out of the support item. The Nomu threw a strength-enhanced punch, getting barely stopped by the teacher.

Shota activated his Quirk, suppressing the monster's strength, but still his arms buckled under the natural strength of the beast. He had to take a knee as it gradually increased the pressure. Right before his wrists broke from the weight, a flail went sailing into the head of the brute, destroying the head. It's eyes and brains sprayed over the adult, covering Eraserhead's goggles with blood.

"Are you all right, sir?" Rem asked, a curious expression on her face. She watched as her senior slowly wiped the blood off his goggles, pushing off the corpse of the monster afterwards. 

"And why didn't you do that at the start?" Shota asked, masking his hostility with disappointment.

"Simple, your student was attacked at the same time as you. Master Hitoshi was on the ground, bleeding from his skull. As such, I needed to heal him, which makes him have a higher priority than you, making him more important," she clarified, doing a bow, "I'm sorry if I caused you any distress."

The older man sighed, saying, "I understand, let's go save the other stu-" The trio heard a disgusting sloshing sound coming from the corpse of the Nomu. They watched as its head was reassembled, piece by piece. The teacher activated his Quirk, trying to stop the catastrophe from happening to no avail. Finally, with its brain reassembled, it focused its bird-like eyes once more unto Aizawa.

"Hey, Bird-Brain!" Shinso yelled out, trying to save his teacher, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't most birds squawk and crow?" 

The creature cocked its head to the side in confusion, before giving out a belting roar, the smell of its breath almost enough to kill (the lilac-haired teen almost wished he did with how much his eyes were watering). As soon as the shout was over, Shinso realized in absolute horror that the monster before him had little to no intelligence, as his Quirk wasn't activating. The Nomu began to charge at him, a couple of meters away from sending him into the hospital. " _So this is how I die?_ _"_ The teen closed his eyes, waiting for his life to end.

Right before the charging bull connected with the teen's body, it became encased in ice from the head down. Flabbergasted, the teen turned his head to see Midoriya, Bakugo, Yaoyorozu, and Todoroki standing to the side of his teacher, a look of relief on all of their faces.

"How did you..." Hitoshi began, before being cut of by the bi-color haired teen.

"Apparently, I'm not the only dual-Quirk user in the class," Todoroki said with little emotion as he gestured with his thumb to Midoriya, the greenette in question giving a shy wave.

"Hey, guys, you three all right?" Izuku asked, taking a look at their situation. His teacher looked a little worse for wear, but at least alive. Shinso and Rem had no scratches on them, as if they didn't fight at all. "Okay, I'm going to save the others," the time traveler vaguely stated, walking towards the lilac teen's shadow. "Please stand still." Listening to his new friend, Deku disappeared from sight as he fell through the ground itself through the shadow. Seeing how everyone stood still in shocked silence, Momo began to explain to everyone Midoriya's secret power. 

After she finished, the one thought on Aizawa's mind was, _"Note to self: Give Midoriya detention."_

 _CRACK_ , came the sound as the ice began to break apart. Thinking quickly, Todoroki raised his right hand, covering it in more ice, but it proved to be fruitless as it broke out of its cold prison. The monster lunged at the teen, trying to pick him up before a flail wrapped around its arm, stopping it in its tracks. It roared in anger, grabbing the chain with its other hand and pulling the maid with it, about to deck her in the face. Just before the punch connected, Rem twisted in mid-air, narrowly avoiding a knockout blow. Landing safely on her feet, she began to breathe hard, trying her best to not collapse from physical fatigue. The beast began to run towards the maid, its muscles bulging from anticipation. Shinso shook his head, knowing how stupid it was as he ran and pushed the girl he barely knew out of the way, a look of surprise and confusion on her face as the tired teen got the beating instead.

Punch after punch landed on him, his arm being torn off when the large beast gripped it with its beak. The students watched in horror as their classmate was being tortured to death, but their teacher tried to rush in to stop it, only to be thrown aside like an unwanted toy. Momo, upon seeing how easily her teacher failed, broke out of her fear and quickly created a longbow and some arrows. Taking aim, she masterfully and successfully ruptured the left eye of the beast. It screamed in pain and agony, the arrow eventually being pushed out as another eye formed in its place. It set its sights on the archer before a loud blonde shouted, "OUT OF THE WAY, EXTRAS!" 

Wisely, everyone besides the Nomu got out of the way for Bakugo. He pulled the pin from both of his grenadier bracers, sending two condensed streams of explosions and fire to the monster. After a solid 10 seconds of being lit aflame, the beast came out with severe burns, which was quickly disappearing from its super regeneration. With a pissed off look, Kacchan muttered quietly to himself, "Asshole..."

"Nomu, heel," a voice commanded above them. The monster stopped obediently, standing dead still with no emotion behind its eyes. Everyone looked upwards, seeing the villain Roswaal floating above them all. "Myyyyyyyy, you all did well, especially you two, Rem and the Archer Girl," he began to slow clap, the sound slightly muffled from his gloves, "But I must ask, where is Midoriya-kun?" the heterochromatic villain asked, curiosity filling his voice.

"Right here," came the defiant voice of Izuku, standing in the shadow of his friend Momo. He had a look of determination on his face, with a hint of fear in his eyes before being replaced with a fake happy-go-lucky look.

"Finalllllllly, Midoriya-kun. I've been watching you for the past ten or soooooo minutes, and I must say your shadow Quirk is quite useful," he paused, waiting for a reaction of any kind to come from the boy. The boy just gave one of his signature smiles, as if nothing was wrong. "But your little shadow Quirk isn't enough to defeat someone like meeeeeee. Please do tell me you have something of greater power."

Izuku paused, hesitating. He was just going to be honest and say the truth, that he also had a gravity Quirk, until he remembered some advice from the Principal: _"You shouldn’t announce your attack, and if you do, make sure to lie about it."_

"I...have a Quirk I like to call Strong Body," Midoriya said, mustering up all the courage he had. Roswaal raised an eyebrow upon hearing the Quirk's name.

"Hmmmmm, let's put that to the test, shall we? Nomu, attack the green-haired one," the villain said, pointing at the greenette. Immediately, it sprung towards the time traveler, sending out a flurry of shots. Midoriya was barely able to activate Gravity Adjustment before he made himself lighter, allowing himself to dodge more quickly. After tanking about half the onslaught of painful punches, Izuku took the offensive and struck a gloved uppercut to the Nomu. The second his knuckles touched its skin, Deku changed the monster's gravity to be lighter than air, lighter than anything he ever made before. The Nomu flew upwards at incredible speed, a sonic boom being heard and then the sound of metal caving into itself as it broke through the ceiling, sailing far, far away from the U.S.J. 

"You...you cheated!" Roswaal screamed, having a tiny tantrum in the air, "My master built that Nomu to SPECIFICALLY handle All Might's strength, and you somehow cheated!" the villain accused, his eyes full of malice. The heterochromatic villain landed ungracefully on the floor with a loud _thud,_ making his way towards the greenette. Getting into a fighting stance, Midoriya Izuku knew he was probably going to fail, horribly he might add, but he knew he had to protect everyone. Even if they didn't remember the countless times they hung out in the other timelines, Deku did. And he was not going to lose them.

The screeching of metal being torn off its hinges were heard emanating from the entrance doors before they cleanly flew off. A buff man with blonde, rabbit-like hair wearing a tacky yellow suit stood in the blinding light of the door.

"It's fine now! I am here!" shouted the unmistakable voice of All Might. He took stock of the situation before disappearing in a flash.

Time seemed to stop as if Izuku tried to tell someone about Return by Death. The only people moving were the greenette and the creepy 'gay clown'. "Midoriya-kun, our time is short so let me give you a warning: You cannot save everyone, no matter how hard you may try. Please keep that in mind for the future, or should I say, futures?" Roswaal cryptically said as he disappeared, flashing away using his Quirk. Time resumed as if it never stopped in the first place, except that All Might was standing with his fist outreached where the clown's head would be.

"Damn it!" All Might screamed in frustration. He looked around quickly, and after confirming that Roswaal was gone, went up to Shinso as soon as he noticed that he was missing an arm. Right before he could bring the injured boy to safety, Rem stopped him.

"Excuse me, All Might, but I can heal my Master," the maid said as she picked up the dismembered arm and put it close to Hitoshi's unconscious body. His breathing was irregular as the blood poured out from his injuries. Everyone watched in keen interest as she sat down close to the wound, raising her left hand to it. "Mana of water, heal this damaged body." A bright light emanated over her hand, and the arm reattached itself back to Shinso. The boy, now safe from dying from exsanguination, was picked up by the blue-haired maid bridal-style.

"Where do you think you're going with my student?" Aizawa asked, stepping in front of the former villain. She scowled at first, but then sighed.

"Mr. Aizawa, I wish to completely heal his injuries somewhere else and then find my sister afterwards," Rem told the teacher, impatience getting to her.

"Why not your sister first?" Shota countered, raising an eyebrow at her wording. 

A melancholic expression appeared on her face, "I...I believe if I help Master Hitoshi with his injuries, he'd be more willing to reunite me with my sister." 

Eraserhead's heart, which he usually sealed away during a fight such as this, opened a little towards the girl. He sighed, putting his face in his hands. "If you promise me two things I can guarantee that you'll get your sister back." Rem gave a skeptical look back, nodding with apprehension. "First, I'm coming with you. As much as it may surprise you, I don't trust you. Second, I have a friend named Tsukauchi Naomasa who will help us decide if you're a friend or foe."

"How can you guarantee I'll get my sister back?" Rem asked, doubting the man.

"Because I've seen time and time again what happens when someone like you and your sister are separated," Aizawa answered, remembering all those horrible things he had to do as an underground hero. 

"Okay, I accept your conditions," the maid answered, staying by the teacher while still holding her 'master'.

All Might cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention, "Young Yaoyorozu, are you okay?" 

"Besides some superficial injuries, yes, I'm fine," Momo answered, a serious look on her face. The Pro Hero looked to Todoroki, who merely nodded. He looked over to Bakugo, who was muttering something unintelligible.

"Young Bakugo, are you...all right?" the hero asked, hoping that wouldn't set the boy off. Snapping his head to meet his idol's eyes, Kacchan shook his head, denying something silently to himself. 

"Fuckin' bullshit..." Bakugo muttered before stomping past the late hero. 

"Aizawa, how are you holding up?" 

"Fine enough, besides a couple of fractured ribs," Shota nonchalantly answered, stretching his body slightly, wincing in pain from all over. Nodding, All Might walked over to the greenette and laid his large hand on the boy's shoulder, a proud smile on his face.

"Young Midoriya, you have my thanks. Not only did you manage to send Young Iida back to the school safely to warn us, you also sent Young Uraraka and Thirteen to a hospital for the hero's surgery, yes?"

"Y-yes!" Izuku confirmed a little too loudly, surprised and happy his plan worked. Before All Might continued, the teen noticed a slight amount of steam coming off of him.

"Young Midoriya, I have to leave quite quickly, but do you know why these heinous villains attacked?" 

After a second of hesitation, Deku repeated to his favorite hero what the villains wanted, "They wanted me...for my unique Quirk."

The Pro Hero widened his eyes upon hearing that, thinking through all the implications. "We'll talk later," All Might said, taking off in a flash.

With the fighting over, and with everyone safe, the exhaustion that was eating away at the young time traveler finally caught up with him. He closed his eyes, letting himself sink to the floor. Taking a deep breath, Midoriya whispered to himself, "I did it...without dying," happy tears flowing down his cheeks. He chuckled lightly to himself, before standing up and dusting himself off, wiping the tears away afterwards. He heard sirens in the distance, which he assumed were ambulances.

"Okay, class, let's go get patched up," Aizawa said, leading them back to the entrance. The clear blue skies and the warm sun greeted them all like an old friend. Midoriya knew that this battle wasn't over, far from it, in fact. But for the first time that month, he allowed himself to think of the future, and what it might just hold.

* * *

**END OF ARC ONE**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clarify, this story is not on hiatus. Expect a chapter on the usual day.


	15. Intermission: Rem's Interrogation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rem gets interrogated and we learn some of her tragic backstory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter _was_ going to be the beginning of the U.A. Sports Festival, but as I wrote more and more of the beginning it grew into something else entirely.

**Tuesday, 5:00 AM  
** "Nezu, I don't think I need to tell you that it's way too early to do this now," Aizawa Shota yawned, stretching his arms as he got as comfortable as he could in the cushioned chair. His student, Shinso Hitoshi, who sat across from him, also yawned, scratching his neck. They, along with Nezu, Tsukauchi Naomasa, and Rem sat in the Principal's office. After the attack on the U.S.J, the chimera and the faculty believed it was best to cancel school for the next three days to allow the afflicted students to recover.

Rem sat to the right of her master, looking between his teacher and principal, saying, "I agree with Mr. Aizawa, my master is not getting enough sleep, especially after what that horrible monstrosity did, so we must be going." Shinso cringed inwardly upon hearing Rem refer to him as 'master'. At the time, it was a good decision to get her on his side and also to protect him. Now, it felt very wrong, like a breach of trust. Hitoshi then realized what he just thought, thinking that the girl next to him that he barely knew was his friend. He chuckled bitterly to himself, thinking of himself as a fool.

"That reminds me, I really have to thank Recovery Girl for such a nice job. I didn't even think she could regrow my arm," the lilac-haired teen said, remembering the feeling of the Nomu's teeth digging its way through skin and muscle before finally severing his bones; the feeling would haunt him for the rest of his life, he believed. He did his best to ignore the memory by thinking of how abrupt his awakening was. About an hour ago, Shinso woke up in the nurse's office with Recovery Girl, his teacher, and Rem by his side. Before he could ask a single question, (or say a simple thank you), he was dragged out of room by his teacher saying something about an 'interrogation', with his brainwashed maid following behind in a quick manner.

The blue-haired maid allowed herself to look sad for a brief second upon hearing her new master say that before quickly replacing her saddened appearance with a neutral one. Rem didn't voice her concerns, not anymore, especially after what happened the last time she did when Roswaal was her master. He had a weird guest over one time, weirder than all the others. The man appeared to be in twenties, but in the maid's opinion, he was mentally no older than a child. He kept on scratching at his neck, raving about how much he wanted to kill All Might as he spoke with a raspy throat. Numerous severed hands adorned him, with one even on his face.

It was such a small correction. Roswaal ordered her and Ram to go and get tea from the supermarket, saying how it was for the potential new recruit. Going through a portal, when she and her sister arrived at the tea aisle they noticed what appeared to be a man with greying hair in his early thirties with his daughter who looked no older than six standing there deciding what would be the best choice. As Ram grabbed one of the cheaper brands of sencha (green tea), the man stopped her, saying in the most polite manner possible that kocha (black tea) was superior in every way. Heeding his advice, they returned to their base of operations through a portal. Rem served it to the mysterious man, saying it was the best kocha available. The man, (who called himself Shigaraki), was outraged, whining about how he didn't ask for this and how he specifically asked for sencha before he arrived; all while disintegrating the tea cup in his hand in his tantrum. When Roswaal asked her why she would do this to him, Rem answered honestly, saying how he never said anything about a specific type of tea.

For the next week she was kept in a room with no food. Tortuously, Roswaal managed to invent a convoluted floor in which fire would slowly grow in the room as time passed, triggering her pyrophobia. He would let her get dehydrated long enough to suffer right before giving her one glass of filthy water, which let her continue living before repeating the process. Getting burned on the first two nights hurt badly, but once she learned to sleep in the center of the room it become a little more bearable. Without her sister, she grew quite lonely and isolated. Roswaal's sadistic torture did have one benefit, however: She discovered her healing capabilities. 

Rem shook her head to get rid of the bad memory after noticing that everyone was staring at her. _"_ _It's not my place..."_ she thought forlornly to herself, wringing her hands together. 

Principal Nezu watched this play out with interest, showing hidden concern. "Actually," the chimera said with pep, "it was Rem who saved your life and arm, Young Shinso." The boy's eyes widened at the sudden revelation, snapping his look to the maid. She looked back with her eyes filled with alarm, wondering if she did something wrong.

"Wait. Rem, you...saved my life?" Shinso asked, his usual tiredness absent from his voice. Rem hesitantly nodded her head. "And you also save my arm?" the boy added. The maid nodded again, hoping that if she told the truth the punishment wouldn't be too severe. Suddenly, she was enveloped in a tight hug, with her master whispering, "Thank you." 

The blue-haired maid let a couple of happy tears leak out, relieved that she wasn't in trouble again. Slowly, Rem began to reciprocate the hug. It felt...nice. It was definitely different when she did it with her sister, but not a bad different. A fake cough from Mr. Aizawa shook them out of their embrace, the both of them feeling slightly embarrassed and awkward at doing that. "All right, with that out of the way," the tired man began while suppressing a grin, "Shinso, is Rem still brainwashed?"

"Yes, sir. I haven't gotten rid of it yet," the boy admitted, feeling slightly bad. His teacher discreetly nodded his head, giving the lilac-haired teen the signal. "Hey, Rem?"

"Yes, Master-" the maid stopped, her eyes glazing over. Her impeccable posture fell away along with the stiffness in her muscles, making her appear much more relaxed. He sighed, knowing what he had to do, but not liking that he'd be hated as soon as her perverted view of him went away. Shinso knew it was wrong to think that, but he couldn't help himself with thinking that he could have another friend, even if it was in a weird sense.

"Rem, I'm no longer your master. In fact, you're your own person, but you will not attack anyone in this room," Hitoshi commanded, dispelling his old command. The blue-haired maid blinked out of her stupor, seeing everything in a new light. She looked at the four males in the room, correcting her posture. 

"Thank you, Shinso," the maid said, bowing her head slightly to the boy.

Shinso, growing flustered, replied back, "Y-you don't have to do that anymore."

"I know," Rem shot back, a smile on her face. 

The principal watched with a smile on his face, feeling relieved that everything was working out. "Now that the guest is comfortable, let's begin the questioning," he gestured to the detective, who sat patiently with a notebook and pen in his hands. He wore a beige overcoat with white gloves. His jet black hair was a sharp contrast to Nezu's snow-like fur.

"Just for clarification, your name is?" Tsukauchi asked, his pen leaking ink onto the paper.

"My name is Rem, I don't know or I don't have a last name." 

_"True,"_ his Quirk told him. He nodded, writing down the information. "Who is, sorry, _was_ your master?" 

"My former master's name was Roswaal L. Mathers, the 12th descendent of the original Roswaal Mathers." 

_"True."_ Tsukauchi wrote down the villain's name, surprised that things were going swimmingly. "Where are you from?"

"I'm from...Miyagi Prefecture," Rem answered, the reply sounding oddly rehearsed. The detective raised an eyebrow, his Quirk telling him something was off.

"Rem, do you want to guess what my Quirk, Lie Detector, does?" Naomasa asked. The girl in question paled at hearing that. "I'll ask again, where are you from?"

"Junsuina Chi Village," Rem said, looking visibly uncomfortable. The detective nodded, his Quirk telling him it was the truth.

"And where is this village?"

"If I remember correctly, it should occupy a forest in the Kingdom of Lugnica," she revealed, knowing what will come next.

"Hold up," Aizawa interrupted, getting everyone's attention, "where is this 'Kingdom of Lugnica'?" he air-quoted, yawning afterwards.

The blue-haired girl grew silent, not wanting to speak anymore. Shinso tentatively grasped her left hand, silently urging her to continue. "Lugnica...is a place far, far away. The chances of finding it here on Earth is nil."

Naomasa looked at her, confused. She wasn't lying, at all. Was she just delusional? Curious, he decided to ask basic questions.

"Rem, what planet are we on?" He started with an easy one, making sure she had at least some of her marbles.

"Earth."

"All right, good. What day of the week is it?"

"Tuesday, I believe. We're in the second week of April."

"Mr. Tsukauchi, how do these questions...help us?" Shinso asked. Don't get him wrong, he wanted to know more about the cute girl next to him, but he didn't see how these questions would do that.

"You'll see. Miss, what species is our host, Nezu?" The chimera perked his ears at hearing the question, curious to see what she might say.

"While I do know that Mr. Nezu is an animal in the species sense, I do not know which one, as his appearance has a mix of a mouse, bear, and a bit of dog. Perhaps he is a hybrid of sorts?" Rem answered, hoping she didn't insult the host.

"My, excellent job, Young Rem. And yes, I'm a hybrid of those three animals," the chimera complimented, clapping his hands together in amusement.

"Why, thank you, sir."

Coughing into his gloved hand, the detective asked his final question, "Besides Nezu, what is our species called?"

With only a slight pause to answer, Rem simply said, "Human." Tsukauchi raised an eyebrow when his Quirk told him that was _somehow_ a semi-truth. 

_"How the hell can that be_ half _t_ _rue?!"_ Naomasa asked himself, confused as hell. "Rem, besides the principal, who isn't the human in this room?" Everyone's eyes widened upon hearing such an outlandish question asked so seriously.

Rem sighed deeply, exhaling through her nose. She looked hesitantly at her former master, wondering silently if this will cause a rift between their...friendship? "Before I answer that question, may I ask one?"

"As long as you answer the question, I don't see why not," Principal Nezu allowed, his tail secretly moving in excitement.

"What do you all think of...demons?" the maid asked, holding her breath in fear of their answer. The males in the room, while confused at the question, decided to unanimously give a serious answer.

"I'll start first, as I am the host. I believe demons to be fascinating, especially in Japanese folklore. Their giant appearance, along with their unnatural skin color, paints a terrifying creature in one's mind. While the stories of demons usually portray them as evil, I personally believe them to be humans that were simply led astray in life, taking the wrong turn somewhere, but ultimately not beyond redemption," the chimera answered, easily articulating himself.

"I guess I'll go next. I have no real opinion about them, as I don't believe in them," the detective said, giving his opinion. 

"Same," the teacher simply said, his eyes growing heavy with exhaustion. The last one to talk was Shinso who looked deep in thought, looking as if he was trying to come up with a good answer.

"Well, I already know my opinion is going to be heavily different. Generally, Gods don't do anything, but demons? They do tons of stuff. There's whole tv shows about demons doing good things, such as Blue Exorcist, to name one. If I could meet one, I totally would," Hitoshi finished with conviction.

Rem sat in utter surprise at hearing each and everyone's response. Back home, everyone was either afraid of her lineage or murderous. It was rare to find a few people with an open mind, much less four different people in one room. With a deep breath, the blue-haired maid told the truth about her lineage, "I'm the one who isn't human. While my appearance is humanoid, I'm actually a demon," Aizawa and Shinso looked fully awake after hearing that. The chimera leaned forward in his seat, trying to observe the girl more closely. Tsukauchi's eyes were wide in alarm as the girl wasn't lying in any way shape or form.

"Miss Rem, you don't look like a traditional demon," Principal Nezu observed, growing more excited in his seat. 

"To the few people I've told, they've also said that," Rem stated, looking down closely at her fingertips. Her fingernails had a caked layer of blood underneath from yesterday's fight, as she had yet to clean her hands. She desperately tried to ignore the potential appalled looks from everyone, especially the boy on her left who was formerly her master.

"Rem, what's wrong? I've been a teacher long enough to know that look," Aizawa asked, wondering if it involved his student.

"You don't...hate me?" she whispered, trying to ignore the building pressure from her inside her. 

"Hate you? Rem, if you think I'm going to be afraid of you because you were born different then you're wrong. I know what's it like to be ostracized from life simply for being born a bit different," Shinso admitted, remembering all those times he was left out from everything. At home, at school, it didn't matter as no one, not even his parents, wanted to talk to him.

"How are you different?" Rem asked, not seeing anything wrong with him. The teen smirked, surprised she didn't quite get it.

"The fact that you even asked me a question without fear says a lot about you. You know my Quirk, yet you talk to me normally," the lilac-haired teen answered, expecting a lightbulb to go off in her head. Instead, the cute girl shook her head.

"If you wanted to hurt me you would have done it long ago. As such, I can tell you good intentions," the maid replied, making Shinso blink in disbelief.

"Tsukauchi, is she serious?" Aizawa asked the detective, getting back a nod from the man. "Rem, you say you're a _demon_ that came from a _v_ _illage_ that occupies a _forest_ in the _Kingdom of Lugnica_ , is that right?"

"Yes," she answered with the straightest face possible. Shota merely put his hands in his face, taking a deep breath.

"Next you're going to tell us that you're not from this world," the tired man yawned out, smacking his lips. Right before the girl could answer, Aizawa interrupted, "Nope, say it after I leave," he commanded, the maid closing her mouth. "Tsukauchi, can you just ask the most important question please?"

"Okay...Rem, if we were to release you and your sister, would the both of you willingly go back to this 'Roswaal' character?" the detective asked, readying himself for a hypothetical fight.

"Never. After what that...monster did to us, we would rather die than continue to be by his side," Rem answered with venom in her voice, past horrors being left unsaid. With a thumbs up from the Naomasa, she was given the all clear.

"Young Rem," Principal Nezu offered, "seeing how you're not a threat anymore, would you like to see your sister?" The blue-haired maid nodded her head quickly. "Well then, Young Shinso will lead you to the nurse's office. Have a good day." 


	16. A Demon and a Stalker join the Class of 1-A

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midoriya has a nightmare, and the class of 1-A gets some new students.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeez, this chapter did not want to cooperate with me. But, here you guys go.

ARC TWO:  
THE U.A. SPORTS FESTIVAL

* * *

***************  
**Midoriya Izuku blinked open his eyes, finding himself in a familiar environment. Fluorescent lighting overhead, with the sounds of whoops and cheers surrounding him, the time traveler found himself staring down at his phone, reading an article of some kind. Upon closer inspection the headline read, _Breaking News:_ _The Sludge Villain has escaped confinement!_

"No...no, no, no, no, no, no!" the greenette whispered, an anxiety attack building. He shook his head, not wanting to believe what was happening. Midoriya couldn't be here, he couldn't be! Thinking quickly, he tried to activate his gravity Quirk.

Nothing happened. In fact, Izuku felt a complete absence of metaphysical strings in his body. Right before he could freak out at that revelation, an angry blonde Pomeranian slammed his fists down onto the boy's desk, tiny explosions coming out in anger. "Oi, I'm trying to talk to you, Deku!"

"K-Kacchan?" Midoriya stuttered out, a stupid confused look upon his face. Bakugo grinned, happy to get a reaction out of his...friend? Victim? It didn't matter.

With a sneer and a look of superiority, the blonde said in a mocking tone, "O-oh, I'm Deku! I'm a b-big fuckin' nerd with his shoes untied!" The mocked teen's face lost all color, making a desperate attempt at holding in the rising bile in his throat. Kacchan's expression of superiority subsided, appearing...concerned? "Oi, Deku, the fuck's wrong with you?" he asked gruffly, his tone sounded somewhat forced. Midoriya, upon seeing and hearing all these familiar things happen to him once more, just broke down into a crying mess, shutting his eyes tightly. Bakugo uncharacteristically scooped his childhood friend into a tight hug, whispering softly, "Ssssh, it's okay, Izu."

The greenette blinked open his eyes, confused and in utter disbelief that Kacchan would **ever** do that. As he wiped away his tears, he found himself back in his dorm room, clutching a feminine figure who smelled like flowers. The stranger had long flowing black hair, putting Izuku immediately on edge. "T-Toritsuka?"

"Ssssh, Izu. It's okay. The nightmare is over," his stalker whispered, stroking his green hair lovingly. She pulled him out of the hug, a concerned yet loving expression on her face, which honestly freaked him out more than it helped him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Midoriya desperately wanted to throw her out of his room, to yell and scream at her for killing him; yet the feeling of being comforted, even by a deranged person such as Kyoko, felt...nice. It honestly felt heavenly (that thought alone made him want to throw up). Her soft fingers mapping out all the strands of his hair, the way she lovingly whispered to him. It almost felt as good as when Ochaco did it. The time traveler knew that his stalker not only killed him before, but also had an unhealthy obsession with him. The alternative, however, would be to go to his girlfriend, and with that thought, Midoriya decided to speak, feeling too embarrassed (and prideful) to go to Uraraka for comfort, "I-I was back, back in my o-old classroom...like, back in time. K-Kacchan was bullying me again," Kyoko stopped stroking his hair, clutching it painfully in anger before apologizing. She urged her unrequited love to continue, resuming her earlier activity. "I-I was Quirkless, a-again. The a-anxiety was building, and I...I-"

"It's over now, my love," she consoled, whispering very close to his ear, close enough that she could smell him if she wanted to. Kyoko thought to herself how manly he must- _"_ _No! I need him to trust me, not think I'm a creep or anything,"_ she scolded to herself, keeping her façade of calmness up. In reality, her emotions were a mix of love, sadness, and rage. The love was obvious, the sadness came from the fact that she couldn't stop her love's nightmares, and anger to the boy who kept hurting her 'cinnamon roll', as she would call Midoriya (never to his face...yet). "Do you want me to get you anything?" she asked, worry in her eyes. Izu shook his head, feeling only slightly better than before. "Are you sure? Do you want another hug?" 

After a bit of internal debating, Izuku begrudgingly accepted another hug, the both of them melting into each other's bodies. One of them content to be closer (with permission!) with her love, the other feeling slightly sad that he'd rather get comfort from a killer than his own girlfriend. Suddenly, a thought struck him: Was a person who killed in another timeline still a murderer in a timeline where they didn't do it? Midoriya thought to himself that the answer could technically be no, as they killed no one in the current timeline; however, the fact that they _did_ kill in another timeline shows they're capable of it. "Toritsuka-"

"For you it's Kyoko, Izu," she corrected with a slight haziness in her eyes. 

Sighing, he continued, "All right, _Kyoko_. I'm only letting you give me a pet name temporarily, okay?" His stalker nodded vigorously.

"Whatever you say, I~zu," she answered, elongating his pet name.

 _"Well, it's now or never..."_ Midoriya thought to himself, hoping he wouldn't die. "Kyoko, would you ever...kill me?" he asked, wincing at how much fear was in his voice. His stalker paused for a moment, thinking over her answer carefully.

"Do you want me to be honest, Izu?" she asked innocently, ecstatic when her love nodded. Without warning, she embraced him in another hug, whispering creepily in his ear, "I was going to. Oh, how I wanted to! That food I made you? I wanted you to eat it so badly! But I'm glad you didn't, really glad, because the real you is sooooo much better!"

With that new knowledge in his mind, Izuku didn't know whether to be relieved or horrified, so he decided to feel both as he got up from bed. As Midoriya found his school uniform, he noticed as Kyoko watched him excitedly as she waited for him to change. He asked tiredly, "Have you watched me do this before?" His stalker gave out a small 'eep' before running out the door, embarrassed. The greenette sighed, thinking to himself, _"This is going to be a long day, isn't it?"_

**Later on that day, Friday, 12:00 PM  
**As soon as Midoriya entered the class of 1-A, he was intercepted on his way to his seat by Kaminari. "Midoriya, good to see you! I gotta thank you again, man, I thought we were a goner!" he told his friend, offering a handshake to his green-haired savior. Izuku took the hand gladly, feeling slightly giddy at the fact that he was making a difference in others lives. "Hey, also..." the electric-Quirked teen spoke really quietly, so low he had to get right next to the other boy's ear, "thanks for saving Jiro that day. I'm thinking of asking-I mean, just...she means a lot to me, you know what I mean?"

The time traveler nodded his head, knowing exactly what his friend was experiencing. Denki smiled, patting him on the shoulder before going to his seat next to Kirishima. With that out of the way, Midoriya sat down next to Shinso and Uraraka, taking out his school supplies. "What's up?"

"You know, same old same old," Shinso replied, a barely hidden smirk on his face. Izuku raised an eyebrow at seeing this. "What's the matter, Midoriya? You look like you're waiting for something _unexpected_ to happen." At hearing the not so subtle clue, his girlfriend began to hold back a chuckle.

"Okay, what's so funny?" the time traveler asked, fearing he was going to get water dunked on him or something similar. Uraraka shook her head, failing at hiding her mischievous smile.

"It's nothing, Izu. Absolutely nothing. By the way, I didn't get to thank you after what you did for me and Thirteen. So thanks again for...you know," she praised, turning her head to the side to at least try to hide her growing blush. 

"That reminds me, where were you this past week, Uraraka?" the lilac-haired teen asked, trying (and failing) to stifle a yawn. The girl's face darkened for a moment, as if caught in a bad memory, before quickly dispelling it.

"I was at my parents' house after I left the hospital on Monday. They were worried for me," she explained, failing to hide the sadness in her eyes. 

"And?" Midoriya asked, feeling like there was more to the story.

Ochaco sighed, continuing, "And there was an accident at their business, causing them to lose their Quirk license. Without their license, they can't do any jobs. And...that means-"

"It's okay," Izuku reassured, taking her hand. She relaxed, albeit slightly. Before the two of them could get embarrassed at showing affection in public, the classroom door opened, revealing their teacher with no bruises on him. Aizawa scanned the room before noticing his green-haired student, before discreetly beckoning the teen to his desk. "Sorry, I'll be back," Midoriya quickly said, walking over to his teacher.

Aizawa looked like he never got hurt four days ago. His tired eyes shone with a bit of warmth before Shota put on his uncaring exterior. "Problem Child, first, I want to say thanks for protecting your fellow classmates on Monday," the teen smiled at hearing that, "Second, I talked to Nezu earlier today. He had a lot to say about your shadow Quirk," his teacher said quietly, making the teen gulp in surprise. "You have detention, by the way. But before you go back to your seat, what I want to know is why you lied on your official Quirk papers."

The gravity manipulator mulled over his answer in his head, thinking what the best plan of action was. After mumbling at light speed, he finally asked, "Sir, can you call the principal and ask him if I can tell the class?" In response, Aizawa simply groaned and dialed for his superior. Once he relayed the message, the teacher's eyes momentarily held no sleepiness in them as he heard the chimera's words.

Once he hanged up, the teacher swore under his breath, "He said yes, but you've got to wait your turn," he told his student, gently pushing him away from his desk. With an odd look, Midoriya took his seat, watching his teacher yawn as he addressed the class, "Good afternoon, everyone. We used to have two things to get through, but Problem Child here," he gestured to the aforementioned student, "now made it three announcements. Okay, first, with all the, _ahem_ , 'excitement' on Monday, I haven't been able to tell you that the U.A. Sports Festival is coming up." The class went up into an uproar of excitement, with mostly everyone talking amongst themselves.

"Something normal? Finally!"

"We can show off how manly we are!"

"Sensei, shouldn't we postpone the festival after the attack?" Jiro asked as she raised her hand.

"That's what I thought. All Might, however, thinks we need to do it now more than ever," the teacher responded as he put his head in his hands, sighing. "Secondly, we have three new students in our class, but only two of them will be joining for now. You two may enter now," Aizawa raised his voice slightly, signaling the new students to enter. 

The door of class 1-A opened once more, revealing a blue-haired girl. Wearing the school uniform, she entered the classroom in a dignified way as if she were used to presenting herself to others. The demon girl scanned the room, smiled upon seeing Shinso, then did a deep bow in front of them all. "Good afternoon, classmates. My name is Rem, and I hope we can get along," she curtsied, standing a bit out of the way to allow the other new student to present themselves.

Suddenly, the lights above Midoriya went out, putting him into darkness. He acted on instinct, looking straight upwards and turning on his gravity Quirk, stopping his attacker from taking the drop on him. Izuku stuttered out, "K-Kyoko! You're t-the new student?!" 

His stalker smiled creepily, pride in her eyes, "Aww, Izu! You're getting so good at stopping me that I might have to step up my game!" she manically shouted, wiggling in the air as she hugged herself. She looked upon the frightened and confused class with a smile on her face, "Hello, everyone! My name is Toritsuka Kyoko. I hope we can get along!"

Unbeknownst to the class, Aizawa was slamming his head silently against a wall, knowing how much torture he'll go through for the next three years. "Midoriya, can you _gently_ put Toritsuka down on the ground so I can also give her detention?" 

"Of course, sensei," the greenette responded, doing as he was told. 

"All right, finally, Midoriya here would like to tell you all about his 'actual' Quirk," Aizawa revealed, giving the cue for the boy. Shakily, the gravity manipulator stood up, cleared his throat, and began.

"Um, so, as most of you know, I have a dual-Quirk, one being the manipulation of gravity, the other being shadow movement," his classmates nodded when they heard this, "However, my quirk, my _true_ Quirk, is called Quirk Copy. It allows me, through a very strict set of rules that even I don't fully know, to copy the Quirk of anyone." The class sat in shocked silence, the tension so thick someone could slice it like cake. It was only broken when Rem sneezed, covering her nose as she sniffed when the class went into chaos, bombarding him with questions.

The only one who was in control of herself was the demon girl, who eyed the greenette suspiciously while thinking, _"He smells like **them**._ _"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Readers, I know I say this a lot, but seriously, I never expected to get past the first chapter. I never expected more than five people to like this, but you guys really like it. So thank you, and have a good day.


	17. The Blonde Elite of Class 1-B and a Hoverboard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Class 1-A meets its siblings (Class 1-B). Midoriya and his friends train for the sports festival.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I'm sorry for flip-flopping my schedule around, but I (hope) this is the last time. From this chapter forward, every new addition to this story will come out every Wednesday; I am sorry for any disappointment I may have caused.

**Class 1-A, Friday, 12:15 PM  
** The classroom was engulfed in a cacophony of noise, each student directing their question at Midoriya at the same time. The sound bombarded the teen from seemingly every direction, forcing him to shut his ears in slight annoyance. Sadly, it didn't work, as they seemingly got louder.

"The next person to yell out a question gets chalkboard duty for the next two months," Aizawa coldly announced to the class. Immediately, almost everyone who was riled up pacified, their lips pressing together into a straight line. Out of the corner of the teacher's eye, he noticed Bakugo having a hard time keeping it together, barely being able to restrain himself from verbally lashing out at the greenette. With a sigh, Aizawa commanded, "If you have a question, raise your hand and Midoriya will answer it for you."

As soon as the words left his mouth, simultaneously almost every single hand went up, excluding Bakugo, Uraraka, Shinso, and Rem. Izuku, looking at the sea of hands, decided to start first with Aoyama, the eccentric and flamboyant French-speaking student. "Midoriya, you wouldn't happen to be able to copy my Quirk, no? As we all know, only I can sparkle!☆" he dramatically asked, doing a pose afterwards. The time traveler shook his head, feeling slightly uncomfortable of the other. Midoriya decided to pick Iida, who stood up straight as he asked his question.

"Midoriya! Do you know any of the rules your true Quirk requires to allow you to copy another's power?" Tenya asked, chopping robotically in the air.

"Well...I know I need to make physical contact with the person," he answered, scratching the back of his head. Looking around, he next chose his frog-like friend, Tsu.

Her tongue slightly out, she tilted her head as she asked, "How did you first discover your real Quirk, _ribbit_?" 

Flashes of getting assaulted and slammed and killed from the overweight villain from his first/third death came to the forefront of Midoriya's mind. He vividly remembered begging him to stop, all for Gravity Controller's sadistic smile to grow even wider, making the man punch more manically. He remembered the feeling of slowly losing body heat, each punch hurting slightly less as he lost both his consciousness and his will to live. He remembered-

"HELLO?! DEKU?! STOP FUCKIN' IGNORING ME, ASSHOLE!" Kacchan shouted, shaking his desk from pure rage. The goddamn nerd went off to la-la land as soon as he heard Frog Girl ask her stupid-ass question.

"Bakugo, congratulations, you have chalk board duty. Now, stop talking," Aizawa commanded, annoyance creeping up his spine as the angry blonde broke his No. 2 pencil while receiving his punishment. Right before Bakugo could yell in anger, he got antagonized by a fellow student.

"Hey, Firecracker?" Shinso asked the blonde, a faux uncaring expression on his face, masking his growing excitement on what was likely to happen.

"THE FUCK YOU SAY TO ME, YOU LITTLE SHI-" stopping mid-sentence, the (quite literally) explosive teen's eyes grew lifeless, glazing over as the lilac-haired teen's Quirk worked its magic.

"Sensei, got anything specific you want me to say?" the mind manipulator asked, yawning afterwards. 

His teacher opened his mouth, about to reprimand both of his students, one for disobeying his warning, the other for illegal Quirk usage, when he realized that this could be a tiny blessing in disguise. After all, at least the latter of the two was _trying_ to help him, so he decided to say instead, "Give Bakugo a unique punishment, something harmless, yet completely unlike him." After Shinso, (and the class), heard this, they all got a mischievous look upon their faces, thousands of thoughts racing inside their adolescent minds. 

Working his magic, Hitoshi commanded the blonde teen, "Bakugo, you are physically unable to raise your voice against anyone. You cannot swear, but every time you usually would, you will turn it into a compliment that comes from the heart," he finished, giggling uncontrollably. Life came back to Kacchan's eyes, his mind trying to comprehend what just happened to him. 

"Oi, Purple-Hair, what did you do to me, and by the way, great job at handling yourself during that attack on Monday. That was a great strategy." As soon as the words left his mouth, he put two hands over his face, disgusted by his actions. "What's happening to me? And might I say, you rock the color purple quite well."

"Why, thank you, Bakugo. So, you're not mad at me?" Shinso asked innocently, wanting to see just how far he could push this. Bakugo shook his head vehemently, trying to convey how pissed he was.

"Of course I am, you idiot...but you should really add in some yellow or orange to your casual outfit, it'd compliment you real nicely," the blonde truthfully (and unwillingly) recommended, both terrifying and pissing him off at the same time. He decided to direct his rage at his childhood friend, hoping to act at least semi-normal. "Deku, if you don't help me out I swear to God..."

Midoriya felt equal parts amused, perturbed, and saddened at seeing his friend act like this. All his life, Kacchan acted high and mighty, above all (with a bit of an inferiority complex mixed in there). Izuku could remember all the horrible things his blonde bully had done to him, and to see him act like this...wait, why was he complaining again? He shook his head, "Nah, I'm good, Kacchan. In fact, I daresay it's an improvement," Midoriya cheekily grinned, getting a harsh glare from the other. 

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Yawning, their teacher announced, "Bakugo, stay after class. Everyone else, stay safe, and don't do anything illegal." With whoops and cheers, everyone began to file out of their class. That was until they all realized that both of the large doors were blocked by a sea of students, each one trying to see into their class. 

"Excuse us! You are blocking the exit of our classroom!" Iida shouted at them, chopping his hands in the air. 

Inspired from the robotic-like teen, Jiro also yelled, "Yeah, I kinda want to, you know, leave!" her earphone jacks turning sharp and rigid in annoyance.

"What are they doing here anyway, checking out competition, _ribbit_?" Tsu wondered, voicing her thoughts aloud. 

"Of course, Frog. That's what these extras are doing," Bakugo replied, rolling his eyes as he did his best to be 'polite'. He got close to the doors, trying to also see who could be a tiny nuisance. While surveying the extras, a pretentious looking, short blonde haired boy strolled up right in front of Bakugo. The other blonde began to roam his eyes across the explosive boy's body, sizing him up.

"So, this is the infamous class of 1-A? The class that survived a villain attack? I expected better, and if you're representative of the entire class," the teen gestured confidently to Bakugo, "I especially expected MUCH more in the looks department," he finished, feeling high and mighty.

Bakugo grinded his teeth together in annoyance, doing his best to not to swear. When he, inevitably, cracked and 'swore' at the pretentious-looking student, it came as no surprise to the class of 1-A that he did the exact opposite, "Listen up, you extra. I'm gonna win this tournament, and my classmates are going to wreck your class's ass because each and everyone of them is goddamn amazing," he declared with a fire in his eyes.

Looking amused, the other blonde responded back, "Right, as if you neathanderthals could possibly beat us. I hope you enjoy consuming my soot, so I bid thee farewell," he snickered, looking quite pleased as if he did the best insult in history. He sauntered away, with the rest of his class trailing behind. 

"Wow, what an asshole," Shinso remarked to the (temporarily) pacified blonde teen.

Fuming, Bakugo replied, "Yeah, that guy was a-" he stopped, again, mid-sentence, his eyes glazing over once more.

"You're free to speak your mind again. In other words, you're normal again," Hitoshi commanded, yawning as he stretched his tired body. Free from the mind control, Bakugo opened his mouth to scream and presumably swear at the lilac-haired teen, but chose not to as he stomped angerly to his desk.

"Hmm, took that better than I thought he would. Midoriya, Uraraka, Iida, Rem," Shinso raised his voice to make sure his friends heard him, "anyone want to go out to eat later?"

Nodding, Izuku agreed it was a good idea. Kyoko thought so, too, and no one wanted to be the one to tell her no, so she came as well.

**Mickey D's, 3:40 PM  
** The U.A. classmates ate together in enjoyable silence, filled with bliss and food as they ate their greasy American food. The place was jammed pack with other patrons and fellow classmates, such as Kaminari and Jiro, who were sharing a milkshake. When the friend group ordered, Midoriya and Toritsuka shared a cheeseburger, Uraraka got pancakes and sausage, Shinso wanted a teriyaki burger, Iida got a ten-piece nugget, and surprising everyone, Rem only wanted a Caesar salad.

Wiping his mouth of the delectable sauce, the lilac-haired teen asked his demon friend, "You sure you don't want a bite?" She looked uncomfortable at hearing the question, shaking her head as she ate a crouton.

"I'm fine, Shinso. I'm not much of a carnivore, as I was never offered meat at my previous...residence," Rem admitted, looking down at her plate to avoid the bewildered looks that were surely being directed at her.

"Really?! Then you gotta try this, Rem!" Uraraka urged, offering her side of sausage to the girl. 

"I also insist, as meat is an important part of any meal! Or, at least a meat substitute!" Iida shouted, getting annoyed looks from the other customers of the restaurant. He offered one of his nuggets, a determined glint in his eyes. The former maid looked embarrassed, but also secretly happy people were being so nice to her. 

"I...okay," she relented, watching the two give some of their meal over. Rem took a hesitant bite of the sausage, her eyes lighting up immediately. It reminded her of home, back in the village, when her father would come back from hunting wild boar. They'd have it with a side of steamed tatos, made by her perfect sister, and her mother would set the table and give one of her happy smiles, telling everyone that everything was alright. Ram would start the fireplace, and then the two of them would join their parents to eat. They'd talk about their day, tell funny and embarrassing stories of how they fell in love, and-

"Rem? What's wrong?" Midoriya asked, worry in his eyes as he put down his food and offered a napkin.

"Huh?" she looked at the napkin and touched her eyes, feeling the fresh tears. When did she start crying? Nonetheless, she took the offered napkin and wiped away her sorrows, a feeling of melancholy washing over her. "I'm...okay, but...Midoriya?"

"Yes?" he responded, wondering what was going on in her head. One moment she was fine, the next she was crying silently. It, in a way, gave him an idea of what people see when they see him die and come back, acting differently, but trying to mask the pain.

"Have you ever tried so hard to do something, but in the end, failed?" she asked vaguely.

With a sideways glance at his stalker, the greenette answered, "Yes, I know exactly what that's like. To fail, and to know its your fault. Thinking if you only did this, or if you were just a bit smarter or stronger then maybe it could have gone like that. It eats away at you from the inside, doesn't it?" Rem nodded, astounded that someone understood her sorrow in some way besides her sister. She uttered a quiet thank you before returning to her salad.

"Izu, honey, what happened? Did Bakugo do something to you?" Kyoko asked, a worried lovingly look in her eyes, which quite honestly freaked out Ochaco, as she knew what the other did. Uraraka desperately wanted to stop her, to say what she wanted, but she knew that if she tried, she might not live to see tomorrow. 

A shiver going through his body, he stuttered out, "S-something like t-that. It's a...long story that I don't want to tell you," he lied, knowing what would happen if he did do so. With a questioning look from everyone, they finished their meals in awkward silence.

**Saturday, 12:03 PM  
** "Midoriya, why the hell are we here? I wanted to, _yawn_ , sleep in," Shinso complained while wearing his gym outfit. For some ungodly reason, Izuku asked him and Ochaco to meet him at noon in the training room on their day off, saying he wanted to train for the sports festival. How he managed to secure the gym for the three of them for an hour or two the day **after** he found out about the tournament is beyond Hitoshi's brain power at the moment. The three of them stood in the center of the room, and like Shinso, all wore their gym outfit. 

"You'll find out soon, I promise," Midoriya replied.

"Izu, how'd you manage to borrow this place so quickly," Uraraka asked, wondering the same thing as her purple-haired friend.

"I asked All Might, and he said, **'** **Of course, young man! You're an up and coming hero who needs to train!'** " the shadow manipulator shouted, doing his best All Might impression (that was scarily accurate). Holding onto a duplicate of his retractable metal pole (which was now pink) with one hand, Midoriya, his irises an icy-blue, announced, "Thanks for coming, guys. From personal experience, I know that it's never a bad idea to hone your skills, especially when it involves your Quirk. Which is why I think we should all train our Quirks today." Finished, he tossed the pink pole to his girlfriend without warning. Catching it in surprise, he continued, "Uraraka, you're holding roughly a 900 kilogram metal staff right now. Can you put it down first?" Ochaco, wide-eyed, did as she was asked. Izuku released his gravity Quirk, then gestured to her to pick it up. 

"Um, okay, Izu," she said, trying to pick up the staff. It seemed fruitless, at first, before she used her Quirk to make it defy gravity. Giving it a few hesitant swings, she found it to be a great weapon. "This reminds me when you told me to get something heavy when the villains attacked on Monday...ooooh, this is a teaching moment, isn't it?"

"Yep, and you passed. Now, Shinso, I've got you a present that should help your Quirk, but she sure is taking her time," he vaguely told his friend while he looked towards the training room doors. With a slam, a pink-haired dreadlocks girl came running in with a collar-like device and the time traveler's metal pole. 

A manic look upon her face, she excitedly shouted, "Gravity Friend! Here's the support items, as requested!" Hatsume Mei gave the devices to Midoriya, who took a moment to admire her handiwork. The first was made of a flexible metal, which went around the user's neck and covered the top of their shoulders. With a loudspeaker on each side of the shoulder, it had a bunch of control knobs to adjust the treble and bass, not forgetting pitch, timbre, and the loudness of the device. The second was his retractable metal pole, with one adjustment. "Don't forget, go to the Department of Support after you're done here. I can't wait to make a bunch of babies with you later!" she excitedly announced, hugging his shoulder (uncomfortably close, in Ochaco's opinion). The girl then ran away, giggling in upcoming happiness as she left.

Directing their bewildered looks to Midoriya, the boy, (who was blushing a bright tomato red), simply said, "First, her 'babies' are her inventions. Second, she's just a friend from the support department, and she has the best intentions, I swear." He passed the invention meant for Shinso to him, who took the device warily. "Put it on," Izuku urged as he watched his friend put the support item over his head. "She and I decided to call it Enhanced Vocal Cords. It's designed to amplify and/or change your voice entirely."

Shinso easily found the power on button and turned it on, "Uraraka, may you please go as far as possible away from me and answer my question when you hear it?" With a nod, she went to the far side of the room and waited while playing around with her new weapon.

Turning up the volume, Hitoshi asked, "Uraraka, knock knock."

"Who's there?!" she replied back very loudly, hoping they heard her.

"Never mind. You can come back now," Shinso told her as he turned down the volume on his support item, "Midoriya, I appreciate it, but I can't seem to get my Quirk to work," he admitted, looking away sheepishly. 

Midoriya shook his head, "Hmm, maybe your Quirk has a certain range before it doesn't work? Or maybe it's because she's not responding to _your_ voice," the gravity manipulator theorized, muttering quickly to himself as he tried to think up of a reason why it didn't work.

"What do you mean by that last guess?" the lilac-haired teen asked, confused how his voice was somehow _not_ his voice.

"Microphones work by turning sound, which is just vibration in the air, into an electronic signal, before then turning it back into a vibration. By the end of the process, it's technically not your voice." 

"Oh," Shinso simply said, wondering how and why his friend knew about the subject, "that would explain it. You must have done your research."

"Yep, I've got to thank Jiro again for her lesson on microphones," Izuku replied, scratching his chin in thought as he wondered how exactly he was going to practice.

"So, Deku, what does your staff do now?" Uraraka asked as she strolled back to join them. 

Her boyfriend gave a devilish smile as he confidently declared, "You'll see." Midoriya, turning on his gravity Quirk and putting on a façade of confidence onto his face, pressed a new button on his staff, which made part of the pole flatten out to a board. He then, unexpectedly, jumped onto the staff like a skateboard, floating around the room. "This is so awesome!" he shouted, laughing as he zoomed around the room as he controlled the skateboard (hoverboard?) with his mind, finding it slightly difficult to control both his and the board's gravities simultaneously. 

Izuku came to a controlled, if not wonky, stop in front of his friends. With a glint of determination in his eyes, he proudly said, "So, let's get to work."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you guys know that the 3DS is capable of accessing this website that we're on? And did you also know you could, hypothetically, compose an entire chapter using HTML on said 3DS? Me neither, until last night.


	18. Propulsion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sports Festival starts up, and a declaration of war is given out by one of the students.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I wrote the chapter, I realized how ludicrous it'd be if U.A. decided to hold their annual tournament THE week after a villain attack, so...yeah, pushed it forward in time.

**Sixteen Days Later, Tournament Locker Room, Monday, 12:30 PM  
** After training for roughly two weeks for the competition, both the class of 1-A and 1-B were in their respective waiting rooms. It was ten minutes before the festival started, and already Midoriya Izuku was sweating bullets. It was funny if he was being honest to himself. He's fought living sludge, the wraith of not only his classmates, his stalker, **and** his principal, yet he was letting a little sports tournament get to him. _"It's not just_ any _t_ _ournament, it's THE tournament, the one that got rid of the 'Olympics' nearly 200 years ago_ _!"_ Was he hyperventilating? Possibly. Was he going to drop out? Absolutely not, unless something 'unfortunate' happened to him and/or his friends. In any case, he decided to pass the time by talking to his girlfriend, Uraraka Ochaco, who was sitting to his right wearing her U.A. gym uniform, who was currently tapping her foot in an anxious pattern. "Hey, you okay?"

"Huh? Oh! I'm fine, Deku. W-what about you?" she asked back, trying to hide her fear with a bubbly smile. It seemed to work, as Midoriya didn't comment.

"Me? I'm not worried at all," he lied, trying to convince her (and himself, to a degree). She frowned, knowing that he wasn't being honest to her.

"Izu, it's okay to be scared. I'm sure you'll do fine," Ochaco reassured.

"Thanks, Ochaco. You have any idea why Shinso doesn't want to work together before the fighting starts?" Midoriya asked, looking over to his lilac-haired friend talking to Rem, who looked both relaxed and anxious somehow.

"Something about helping out Rem? I don't really know, but, um...this is for good luck," Uraraka whispered as she looked around the two of them, and after making sure no one was looking at them, gave her boyfriend a quick peck on his lips. Immediately, his anxiety was replaced by the fear of losing to the anxiety of a typical teenage boy, making him blush like a tomato. Uraraka giggled, matching his blush with her own. Unbeknownst to them, Toritsuka Kyoko eyed the two of them from the back of the room, hidden from sight. Her face had a mix of jealousy, hurt, sadness, and resentment on it from the couple.

 _"He needs to be **mine**! And **only** mine! What does she have that I..." _she stopped her train of thoughts, knowing where it lead. Uraraka didn't stalk him for six months straight. Uraraka didn't watch him as he slept. Uraraka didn't want to hurt him as soon as she laid her eyes on him. Despite all that, Kyoko couldn't help but feel jealous, wanting exactly what the other got. It would be _so_ easy to get rid of her, to make that cute little cinnamon bun all hers, but her boss (Nezu) and her love would hate her for that. So, she did nothing...yet. So she watched, silently hoping her love would one day reciprocate with her. _"Like that would ever happen..."_

Suddenly, the crass and explosive blonde of class 1-A got up from his seat, a pissed off look upon his face. After he stood up, he marched on over to his childhood friend and spun him around so he could face him. Standing so that Izuku had to look up to him, Kacchan shouted to him in front of everyone in the room loudly, "Oi, Deku, I'm going to win this, you hear?!" the greenette mutely nodded, wondering why the other was so miffed. "Good, you better pray to whatever God you believe in, because after I'm done with you-"

"Bakugo, that's enough. Leave him alone," Todoroki ordered, stepping in between the two of them. Both Midoriya and Kacchan had a look of surprise on their faces, not expecting the (usually) silent teen to defend him. The blonde let out a tsk of annoyance before letting out a series of small explosions from his right hand hand.

"Move the fuck out of the way, you half-and-half bastard! This ain't your fight," Bakugo growled out, unhappy that he couldn't finish teaching that shitty nerd his lesson.

"I know it's not my fight, but think about it like this: If you attack him, in any way shape or form, that's grounds for intimidation and/or cheating, depending on how far you go; which will effectively disqualify you from participating," he calmly explained, quietly enjoying the rise he elicited from the explosive teen.

The blonde stomped the floor, equal parts pissed and annoyed that he had no counter argument. "Whatever," Kacchan announced, walking out of the room to get some air.

After he left, Midoriya stood up and asked his savior, "Why'd you do that? N-not that I mind or a-anything!" he quickly corrected himself, trying not to appear rude. Todoroki gave a barely perceived smile, before quickly dispelling it.

"Consider it a...thank you for the drink you made a couple weeks back," he said vaguely before walking off. 

"Is he talking about the strawberry shotocake?" Izuku mumbled to himself, "Probably. Yeah, most likely."

As soon as he finished his line of thought, the speakers flared, announcing it was time to make their entrance to the world in two minutes. Everyone quickly filed through the door, the signs of anxiety, fear, and excitement etched onto their face. No one, however, was backing down from this challenge, as their whole careers rode on this one afternoon.

**The Stadium, 12:38 PM  
** "Good evening, everybody! Can I get a hey?!" Present Mic asked as he used his Quirk to magnify his voice to the excited audience. The crowd went wild, the discord of noise coalescing together to form one big 'hey' in response. "The U.A. Sports Festival is about to begin! So pay attention, as you're about to see the loved by all, an entire room that survived a villain attack, the infamous classroom of 1-Aaaaaaaaa!!!!" he excitedly cheered as he elongated their room number. In the crowd, a short green-haired woman was cheering on her baby boy, all while she was fearing for his very life.

As the class came into view, the entire stadium went into an uproar as a blonde with long hair made a rather dramatic entrance by posing before giving a kiss to the audience. "They all love to see me sparkle, no?!☆" Aoyama happily declared, a proud smile on his face as he gave a royal wave. The class awkwardly walked behind the flamboyant teen, silently hoping the crowd wouldn't think they all acted like that. Fireworks went off in the distance, eliciting more cheers and roars of excitement from the audience.

"It's the annual event, the _HUGE_ battle where once every year, up and coming heroes fight amongst themselves to show the world just what their made of! Shota, this is your class! Say something encouraging, sensei!" Present Mic urged, grabbing a microphone from the desk in front of him and shoving it in his tired friend's face. Eraserhead gave a lazy eye roll, before snatching it from the overly loud Pro Hero.

"First, don't say my name on live television. Second, good luck, class, as I expect a lot from you," he deadpanned, turning off the mic to put a couple of eye drops into his eyes. While that was happening, Midoriya was having a slight panic attack from seeing so many eyes on him. The irony that he had stage fright while he dealt with all the horrors of his past was not lost on him.

"Ssh, it's okay, Izu," Toritsuka reassured, running her smooth fingers through his hair. It relaxed him slightly as he took a deep breath, reminding himself that he had to be strong. 

"Thanks, Kyoko," Midoriya mumbled, feeling a bit better. In response, his stalker blushed to a light crimson, giving a quick nod as she averted her eyes. 

"While not having as much of the limelight of its sister class, we have the hero course of class 1-B!" Yamada shouted, growing antsy in his seat for the upcoming entertainment. "Don't forget, dear listeners, the general studies classes of C, D, and E! Not to mention..." Izuku began to tune his teacher out, trying his best to come up with plans to take down all of his classmates, if need be, and how if they were paired what the optimal group would be based on personality and their Quirk, of course. Before he even knew it, all the first year classes from A to K were out in the open, each class staring down the other. Before things could turn violent, the R-Rated Hero, Midnight, corralled them into one big group as she got onto a podium to give a speech. Many of the male students started talking quickly about the teacher, in ways Midoriya would preferably keep to himself.

"Before I go and explain everything, Bakugo Katsuki of class 1-A, please come here to represent your class and give a pledge!" she asked into the microphone eagerly. Surprising everyone (besides the aforementioned student), Kacchan began his walk to the podium in an uncaring motion, his hands in his pockets.

Katsuki tapped the mic three times, causing a feedback loop to occur, which quieted everyone down. He cleared his throat before audibly cracking his neck for the world to hear, "You all better be recording this in high definition, because it's going to be a massacre after I'm done with them," he declared with a crazed smile on his face as he gestured to the eleven classes in front of him. Simultaneously, the crowd and his classmates went into a frenzy of commotion and outrage, the former in excitement of what's to come, the latter in rage after disregarding all of them. Kacchan walked back to join his class, ignoring all of the insults directed towards him. Why should he care, he was just stating the truth, after all. 

Midnight cleared her throat as she attempted to recapture everyone's attention, "With that out of the way, the first game is what we teachers at U.A. like to call the 'qualifier', as many students drink their own sweat and tears here! Without further ado, let the games begin!" she shouted, giving the que for the LED screen behind her to spin and choose the first match. As it spun, everyone stood still with bated breath, wondering what it could possibly be. "This year it's the...obstacle race! All eleven classes will run around the outer circumference of this stadium, which is 4 kilometers long!" the Pro Heroine shouted excitedly, cracking her whip for emphasis. "Anything goes, students! Be it accidental friendly fire or purposeful sabotage, as long as you stay on the track, it's A-Okay!" Upon hearing that, Bakugo got a shit-eating grin on his face, looking menacingly at Izuku, which the teen (sadly) noticed. "Now, please go stand by that gate and run at my signal!"

As the students sped-walked to the gate, Midoriya's mind went into overdrive, trying to think up ways to win the highly dangerous race. _"I could fly over all of it, no, I'm not good enough at that yet...that's it!"_ Finally having a plan, he rushed over to grab Ochaco, Iida, and Aoyama, the last two looking slightly annoyed as the race was about to begin. "Guys, I have a plan that will get us all to the finish line, want to hear it?" he asked, hoping they'd all say yes.

"Is it sparkling and marvelous, Midoriya?☆" Yuga asked, holding his chin in thought. Izuku gave a quick nod, then looked to the last two. Uraraka gave a thumbs up before Iida could respond.

"I do, but before you say it, Midoriya, I must say I'm impressed. How did you figure out this is an exercise of teamwork instead of a competition?" Tenya asked, admiration in his eyes as he adjusted his glasses.

"L-lucky guess?" he stuttered out, giving a shrug, "Anyways, team, this is the plan."

**12:45 PM  
** "On your marks, get set, go!" Midnight shouted as the gates opened, allowing the sea of students to push past each other to try to get to the front. As the students got further and further into the tunnel, it became obvious that four students decided to stay behind to focus on...building a short human pyramid?

"Eraserhead, aren't those students yours?! What are they doing?! Did they forget the memo or something?!" Present Mic shouted. Aizawa only shrugged in response, having no idea in the slightest on what was going through their minds. From what he could tell, the four students were Aoyama, Iida, Uraraka, and Midoriya. For some reason, his student, Iida Tenya, was supporting the combined weight of _all of them_ by himself, with seemingly no issue. Midoriya was the first on the robotic-like teen's back, followed by Uraraka, then finally Aoyama, who was somehow defying gravity by sitting back to back to the greenette. A minute passed before the four of them looked like they were done with their preparations before Shota understood what the hell they were doing and began to laugh, startling the other Pro Hero. "What's so funny?"

"Ever heard of recoil?" Aizawa rhetorically asked, pointing to the quadrio. Finished with their setup, Midoriya gave the signal, causing Iida to run at full sprint on the course with little air resistance. He moved as fluidly as he ever did as he supported his friends.

"What's this, folks?! It seems like those four are working together, but I can't see how it's beneficial, as three of them are doing nothing!" the Pro Hero shouted, confused out his mind. As Present Mic watched, he saw something he hadn't seen in quite some time: Some real teamwork. The crowd watched as Iida and Co. approached an ice covered track before he suddenly did a super jump, turning off his jet engines as they soared through the air.

"Improvised Move: Laser de fusée!" Aoyama shouted as he released his Quirk. His navel shimmered to a sparkling blue before releasing a laser so powerful it reached the stadium, causing damage as the recoil made their speed double. The quadrio sailed through the skies, never falling, yet also never rising. As the track began to curve, Midoriya signaled to Tenya by tapping on his hair twice that he was going to change gravity again. With a quick nod, the four of them were back on the ground, moving as fast as ever as they caught up with the competition.

"Holy shi-is this being recorded?! Is everyone seeing this?! Four classmates of class 1-A are working together to make a laser/rocket-propelled team!" Yamada explained, not quite believing it himself. The audience cheered for the four of them as they rushed past the competition, dodging traps at every step. Eventually, the quadrio managed to catch up completely, but were confused why there was a holdup, as students in front of them stood still, talking in a quick and fearful manner.

As soon as they jumped over them, they realized why. Most of the team, excluding Yuga, saw several robots from the practical dotting the landscape, blocking the way forward. "M-Midoriya! What do we do?!" Iida yelled, unable to stop himself.

"I've got an idea, but it's going to be tricky! Aoyama, fire in three seconds!" Izuku commanded, preparing to do something insane. He shifted the group's gravity so that the blonde was now facing the front, while also simultaneously changing Iida's gravity to counteract the inevitable recoil. As they spun around, Aoyama fired his Quirk, easily destroying all of the robots, causing a nice fireworks show for the crowd. Straining his eyes, Midoriya managed to keep their momentum and fixed their direction in time as they got through the smoke of the fallen titans, allowing Tenya to land and continue his sprint. 

"Nice job, Midoriya! You're a clever boy, no?" the flamboyant teen complimented, holding his belly in slight pain. He couldn't tell his friends, not when they still need him.

"Are you friggin' serious?! Eraserhead, what are you teaching those kids?!" the loud Pro Hero asked, his heart beating a mile a minute.

"Hey, they didn't learn this from me. Blame the Problem Child," Aizawa accused, yawning as he stretched. The quadrio kept running, firing naval lasers and doing high jumps across the entirety of the run until they finally finished the race.

"And those four take first place, everybody! This was heart-pounding, am I right?!"

Aoyama, Iida, Ochaco, and Midoriya got off each other, some of them tired and/or in pain because of their Quirk. "Good...job, team," the time traveler congratulated, falling to the floor as he closed his eyes tight in pain. _"That was so insane...but so worth it,"_ he thought to himself, wishing he had his eyedrops.

"Excellent leadership, deputy rep! I knew we could do it!" Tenya shouted, sweating profusely. He grabbed his friend, picking him up easily to stand him up. "Thank you, Midoriya, for helping me get closer to my dreams!"

"No problem, but...we're not done yet," Midoriya reminded, rubbing his eyes. As he opened them again, he saw his stalker standing right in front of him, giving a sweet smile as she offered a tiny bottle full of a clear liquid. "Hey, Kyoko," he greeted, not as surprised as he normally would because, frankly, she did this a lot; especially as he worked out over those sixteen days.

"Thanks for the free trip, Izu! Do you want some eye drops?" she asked nicely, keeping herself rooted to her spot to not scare him off. He eyed them warily, wanting to take them but knowing it was against the rules. Unless your Quirk wouldn't function properly, no students were allowed to bring in a support item. "Come on, you deserve them! It's not like it's poison or anything!"

That last statement was anything but reassuring for obvious reasons. "I-I'm good, Kyoko. I appreciate it but-" 

"Why? If...if _she_ offered it, would you take it?" Toritsuka asked sadly with an edge to her voice. Midoriya immediately backpedaled, not wanting to upset her.

"N-n-n-no! If Ochaco offered me eyedrops, I wouldn't-" he slapped his hands over his mouth, realizing his mess-up.

"Oh. _Ochaco_ , not Uraraka? I see..." she whispered, her heart breaking into tiny little pieces. Izuku sighed, grabbing her hands in the hopes it would make her feel better.

"Kyoko, we're friends right?" Deku asked. She nodded slowly, not looking him into his eyes. "Uraraka is...important to me, okay? I know you don't like it, but it's my life."

She stood still, processing that. After some consideration, his stalker gripped his hands tighter, slight tears forming. "I know that, Izu. I just...wish you'd let me be a part of it," Toritsuka revealed.

Midoriya sighed, putting his guard down. "Then...act like my friend, Kyoko. Stop stalking me, stop watching me sleep at night, stop getting jealous every time you see Uraraka. Friends don't...do that," he told her, watching the gears turn inside her mind. "If you really want to be my friend, do you think you can you stop all the things I mentioned?"

After a second of consideration, she cried out, "I-I'll do my best! I swear, please!" She pulled him into a tight hug, sobbing over his gym uniform. Taking one of the biggest gambles of his life, Midoriya hoped this would fix things between the two of them.

* * *

 **Meanwhile  
** The mind manipulator felt like he was dying as his lungs were burning from overuse. He personally just wanted to collapse, to give up, but something inside him kept him moving. Rem, on the other hand, barely had any sweat adorning her body. The lilac-haired teen huffed out as he ran with his demon friend, "How...the...hell...?" 

"Shinso, do you want help?" the blue-haired girl asked, keeping pace with him. She was usually much faster than this, but wanted to stay by her friend's side. With an exasperated nod from the tired boy, Rem unexpectedly threw him over her right shoulder, her sprint slightly increasing as he wasn't running anymore.

"God, this is embarrassing..." Hitoshi whined, feeling his face turn cherry red. "Rem, how does this help you?" he asked, feeling like a child as she jumped over a pitfall with ease. 

"It doesn't," the former maid simply said, throwing him up in the air with surprising force as she slid under a two-pointer, catching her friend bridal-style as she continued the test. "But, it helps you, so I don't mind." Hearing that, Shinso...didn't know what to feel. It felt _nice_ that she said that, but he wasn't helping in _any way_.

"Damn, I feel useless. What can I even do?" the male muttered, closing his eyes in shame. Rem shook him a bit, trying to get his attention. When he finally re-opened his eyes, he was greeted by a soft smile.

"You're not useless, Shinso. Don't forget, you have a way with words," the demon reminded him, hoping he'd feel better.

 _"She's right! My Quirk might not being suited for this, but others are!"_ he realized, craning his neck to his right to see the other students. Hitoshi saw one student, a female with vines for hair, who was currently suspended in the air as she used said hair to move around quickly like a spider. Bingo. "Rem, you think you could get us close to her?" he asked, pointing to their potential victim. His friend gave a quick nod before doing a couple of leaps to catch up with the girl. Now within earshot, Shinso shouted towards the girl, "Excuse me, you have some nice hair!"

"Thank you, stranger, but please leave-" she stopped mid-sentence, eyes glazed over. Sadly, the lilac-haired teen forgot that she was previously moving. Before he could tell Rem, his demon friend caught the unknown girl gently, hoping she wasn't jostled too much to knock her out of the hypnosis.

"I-um, keep doing that thing you were doing before, but carry us, too," Hitoshi commanded. With the order said, Rem and the mind manipulator got picked up by the girl's vines as she resumed her...thing.

"Good job, Shinso! I knew you could do it!" Rem congratulated, giving a sweet smile as she was restrained. 

"T-thanks, but you did most of the work," Hitoshi modestly replied, wanting to hide his blushed face. The vine girl was surprisingly competent as she dodged an entire minefield with little issue. As soon as the vine girl crossed the finish line, she threw the two of them off of her in anger, calling the purple-haired one a 'demon'. Right before the duo ate dirt, their gravities were shifted and changed, placing them softly back on the ground. The two of them looked to see a familiar mess of green hair greeting them.

"You guys okay?" Izuku asked, hiding the pain his eyes were giving him. He wanted to use his power as little as possible, but he couldn't watch his friends get hurt when he could do something to stop it.

"Thanks for the save, Midori," Shinso thanked, cracking his neck to relieve some pressure.

"Thank you as well," Rem curtsied, doing her best to keep a neutral face.

"Anytime, Shinso, Rem," Midoriya told them. "You guys want to join me and Uraraka?" 

"Incorrect grammar aside, I would not mind. Do you, Shinso?" Rem asked, having an air of indifference about her. He chuckled slightly, amused with seeing any sass come from her.

In response, Hitoshi replied back, "I don't see why not." As the three of them made their way to Ochaco, Shinso asked about the elephant in the room, "But are we seriously not going to address that you're an acrobat AND a teacher? Showoff." As his two friends started to flirt with one another, Midoriya began to take a sigh of relief. Nothing bad had happened (yet). He and his friends were alive and well, even laughing at times. Hell, he and Kyoko were even getting on more friendly terms.

So why does he have a bad feeling about something?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, the more I write Aoyama the more I like him.


	19. Plans, Plans, Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next game begins and some of the 42 students decide to become horses.

**1:30 PM  
** With the obstacle course over and done with, Midoriya, Toritsuka, Uraraka, Shinso, Rem, Aoyama, and Iida were all huddled in a small group together, drinking water bottles that were supplied to them by the business classes. They were crisp and cold, drenching the soreness and fire in their throats. After draining their bottles in record time, they all got to talking with one another. "Let me guess," Shinso asked his green-haired friend, his mouth threatening to smile, "you're the madman who came up with the 'laser/rocket-propelled team', right?"

In response, Midoriya gave a curious frown, like that of a confused child, "I'm not mad," he replied in a girly child voice.

Knowing his literature, Hitoshi decided to just roll with it, "You must be, Alice. We're all mad down here,” he quoted, giving the biggest creepy smile he could. The two teens looked at each other, barely able to restrain their laughter at the ridiculous of it all. After a solid five seconds of silence, the dam burst, causing them to laugh hysterically as they leaned on each other for support. Everyone looked at them warily, especially Kyoko and Rem. The two of them stood next to each other awkwardly, wondering what the hell their friends were laughing at. The stalker of the two looked at the former maid, raising her eyebrows when she saw the other stare with malice directed towards her love.

"Hey, um...Rem, you okay?" Toritsuka asked, deliberately putting a pause in her question to make it seem like she was slightly worried (and/or cared). The blue-haired girl blinked out of her disdain-filled haze, shaking her head as if to clear her mind.

"I'm fine, Toritsuka. I just...have a sensitive nose, and Midoriya's...sweat is making me feel sick," Rem half lied, wrinkling her nose in disgust of the boy's miasma that poured out of him like clockwork, but it wasn't as bad as usual.

"That sensitive, huh? I think Izu always smells just wonderful!" Kyoko loudly (and proudly) declared. Only after did she realize her mistake, failing to keep her promise to Midoriya to act like a 'normal friend' not even fifteen minutes in. Her eyes went wide as she tried to correct herself, before she and the other students were cut off by the R-Rated Pro Heroine, Midnight.

"To the forty-two students who passed the first round of games, congratulations! My poor heart was just bursting with excitement while watching you run! But enough about yours truly, it's time to spin the wheel and see what fate has in store for you!" Midnight declared, giving the cue for the virtual slots on the LED screen to spin. After what felt like ages to them as their hearts hammered away inside their chests, the slots finally stopped moving, allowing them all to read the text. "The Cavalry Battle! Before I get to talking about the rules, I have to say two things of importance. First, the games are only going to get harder from here, and it _really_ shows why our school went with its motto. Second, after reviewing our recordings, Midoriya Izuku of class 1-A will have 10,000,000 points at the start of the next game for coming in at 1st place, as he technically came up with the plan that got his teammates to the finish line!" she revealed, cracking her whip for emphasis. 

Immediately, the greenette felt a sudden chill roll down his spine as he felt menacing vibrations course through the air. Jealously flowed through everyone's veins, especially so in his former teammates. But they paled in comparison from the absolute _loathing_ feeling he got from Bakugo, who was trying to burn through Izuku's head with his death stare alone. The blonde clenched his fists tightly together, trying not to march over to the former Quirkless boy and scream out his frustrations into the other's face. Kacchan wanted to simultaneously beat the shit out of the nerd and for some odd reason...also congratulate him. He quickly stifled that impulse down, just like every other time he felt it in the past to Midoriya.

"Now then, I'll explain the rules of the cavalry battle! Having fifteen minutes, each team is worth the total of its members' points, represented by a headband that the rider will wear on their neck up to their forehead. And no, you can't put the headband anywhere else on your body. The goal of this game is to steal other teams' headbands to add to your own, trying to collect as many points as possible! And don't you kids worry, even if you lose all your headbands and have absolutely zero points, you're still in the game until the timer is up!" Midnight clarified, causing the students to talk amongst themselves.

"Shit! Shit! D-d-doesn't that mean there'll be twenty-one teams fighting each other at the same time?!" Kaminari stuttered out, not liking the stress he was under. Bakugo, temporarily forgetting his anger for Deku, redirected it towards the distraught teen.

"For bein' an electric type, you're really fuckin' dim, Pikachu!" the blonde yelled out, amazed that the extra fucked up basic math. "If there's forty-one extras including me in this game, then there will be ten or twelve teams, dipshit!" he explained rudely, a pissed off look adorning his face. "Honestly, even Deku would've figured that out already!"

Cracking her whip to gain everyone's attention again, the R-Rated Heroine continued, "You all are allowed to use your Quirks, but you'll get a red card if you try to purposely make others fall! In other words, you'll be disqualified immediately! Now, go and make your teams of up to a maximum of four (with one exception)! The clock's ticking," she sadistically finished, the LED screen behind her counting down from fifteen minutes. "By the way, if a single team wants to have an extra person, talk to me!"

Before Midoriya had a chance to ask his friends if they wanted to work together, Shinso and Ochaco got closer to him, silently answering his future question. Begrudgingly, Rem eventually joined them as well, as she didn't want to be on a team without her savior. "Aww, thanks guys! I'm really glad I met you three, you know that?!" Izuku exclaimed, wrapping them into a tight hug. His friends all sported a bright blush of embarrassment, with Shinso trying to break his way out of his friend's grip. The blue-haired demon noticed this and expertly slipped out of the suspicious-smelling boy's grasp along with pulling out Hitoshi as well, leaving the greenette and his girlfriend in the hug.

"Don't forget about me, Izu!" Kyoko giggled out, jumping out of her victim's shadow and hugging his back. In response, Midoriya stiffened up, remembering how she did that before she-

 _"Toritsuka isn't like that anymore! She's...different now. She's different now,"_ he repeated in his mind as he stopped hugging Uraraka. "H-hey, Kyoko, what's up?" he awkwardly asked, scratching the back of his head out of nervousness. His stalker smiled warmly, her immaculately clean teeth pairing well with her crimson red eyes. For just one moment, Izuku forgot that she stalked and killed him (several times, in fact), and saw her as anyone else would: As a pretty young girl, wanting to be on his team. Midoriya shook that thought out of his mind, focusing on what was happening in front of him (besides, his **girlfriend** was right behind him).

"I'm joining your team, silly! Why else would I be here?" Kyoko asked, hoping beyond hope that he'd say want she wanted to hear.

After a brief second of hesitation, he explained why that wasn't possible, "Y-you see, Kyoko, about that...we already have four m-members, so-"

"Taken care already! I got Midnight's _express_ permission!" Toritsuka explained as she clasped her hands together, gesturing to the Heroine in question with a nod of her head.

Confused, Midoriya turned to look at the teacher, who simply gave a smirk with a thumbs-up while looking at him. With a heavy sigh, Izuku resigned his fate to the gods as he said, "Okay, you're on our team."

"Yay! Thank you, Izu!" she shouted, hugging him in happiness. To the untrained eye, it seemed as if Uraraka was indifferent about the decision, but inside she was boiling with fear and worry for her partner.

 _"Ahem._ Deku, what's the plan?" Ochaco asked as she watched them disentangle themselves. Midoriya's blush quickly disappeared as he mumbled at the speed of sound, trying to come up with a plan that would work. His teammates could only listen in utter confusion for so long before their brains overloaded, steam coming out of their ears. Oblivious, Izuku did this for a solid minute before he stopped and snapped his fingers, knocking them out of their stupor.

"All right, I have an idea."

**1:15 PM  
** "And time! It's time to start the game!" Midnight announced, a grin already on her face.

"Allllll righty, everyone! After fifteen minutes of waiting, the twelve teams have assembled and are ready to give it their all!" Present Mic shouted, waking up Eraserhead who was sleeping next to him. The tired man shot open his eyes, glaring at the overly-loud Hero. Down at ground level, Midoriya's team anxiously waited for the go signal. They decided to have Rem as the rider, because apparently she could make shields (which honestly made the greenette wonder how many Quirks she had). Followed by Shinso being on the left wing and Uraraka being on the right, with Izuku himself being in the front as the horse. Prior to the game starting, the greenette made sure to give everyone a pat on the shoulder.

"Ready or not, I don't care! Now, go go go go GO!" Present Mic screamed, watching almost all the teams beeline straight towards Rem's team. Shinso, while horrified about what was to come, acted indifferent about it.

"God damn it, I knew this was going to happen. Rem, any ideas?" he asked, sweat already building up on his face. The former maid looked to all those who were rushing them, such as a weird shadow creature controlled by a bird-student. Thinking carefully, she gave her first order.

"Midoriya, execute Plan A!" The boy nodded, changing everyone's gravity (except his own) to get them off the ground to fly them across to the other side of the field. One of the teams, which consisted of Bakugo being the rider, Kirishima as the horse, and Mina/Sero on his side, started yelling obscenities at the flying quintet.

"DEKU?! YOU FUCKIN' CHEATING BASTARD!" Kacchan yelled, a vein popping out against his forehead. The blonde turned to his left, as he got Hanta's attention by barking in his ear loudly. "Oi, Tapehead! Catch me after I get back," he told Sero before he rocketed off into the skies for the greenette's team. With a pissed off look to his face, he extended his right hand to grab Twin No. 1's headband.

"Huma!" the cerulean-haired girl shouted, a shining water barrier surrounding her entire team. Unable to stop himself in time, the angry blonde slammed into it headfirst. With his nose slightly bleeding from the impact, he decided to change his tactics by doing a 360° barrage of explosions around the annoying barrier. After a sixth blast of his Quirk, a satisfying glass breaking noise was heard as the water barrier shattered. Seeing his opportunity, Bakugo rushed in to get the headband, only to find that he was being hurled back downwards to the ground by an invisible force pushing down upon him. Watching closely, Sero quickly used his tape Quirk to grab his teammate as instructed.

"HUHHHH?! Bakugo of class 1-A got separated from his team and returned! Is he still in, Midnight?!" the Voice Hero excitedly asked, standing up in the process.

"It's a technicality, so he's still in, Present Mic. If he touched the ground he'd be out, though!" the R-Rated Heroine replied with her mic, the crowd going wild with what they were seeing. 

Landing back on solid ground, Rem's team slightly tripped but was quickly righted by the greenette's Quirk. "That's my Izu! Great job, darling!" Kyoko encouraged, giving a whoop as they kept on running. Uraraka willed herself to stay quiet from that comment (with much effort).

With an embarrassed smile, Izuku reminded himself to correct his stalker's behavior later. For now, he was reminded of just how badly his eyes hurt. Ever since he got them into the air they felt strained, and it only doubled after sending Kacchan back to the ground. He got an idea, one that would (hopefully) remedy his situation. "Shinso, can you use your Quirk to stop someone from feeling pain?" 

The lilac-haired teen shook his head, but realized he should probably respond as well, "Sorry, it can't. What's wrong?" he asked, worriedly.

After a second of deliberation, Midoriya shouted to the group, "I can probably get us back in the air one more time, if that. My eyes...are burning," the time traveler admitted with shame. "I'm sorry, everyone. I should've-" He was interrupted by a bright light coming from behind his head, along with Rem's soft voice.

"Mana of water, heal this exhausted body," she whispered, as Shinso, Uraraka, and Toritsuka watched in awe. The strain in his eyes slowly went away along with the aches and pains in his body. Blinking hesitantly, Izuku felt completely and totally fine.

"I...thank you, Rem!" he shouted to her, grateful that she would use her 'Quirk' to help him. Rem sighed, torn between two options. On one hand, she wanted to be rude to him, to berate him, question him. On the other hand, Shinso was to her left, within earshot of everything she wanted to say. 

"It's nothing, Midoriya. That's what...teammates are for," she said, forcing her suspicions down for the moment, as he was necessary for Hitoshi to win the game. Before the male gravity manipulator could question why the blue-haired girl said it that way, everyone heard Present Mic's voice.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it seems like Team Rem is still in the lead! But not for long!" the Pro shouted, hinting at what was going to happen to the first place spot. The comment puts the former maid at edge, knowing something was wrong. She looked behind, seeing Shoji sprint towards them, his arms covering something on his back.

"Everyone, enemy on our six!" the humanoid demon warned, and (as per the plan if this were to happen) they stopped moving rapidly as Midoriya used his gravity Quirk to spin them around. Upon seeing a (seemingly) one-man team, Shinso spoke up.

"Yo, Shoji, isn't this game a _team_ battle?" the mind manipulator asked, hoping the six-armed classmate would fall for the bait. He didn't respond as a long slimy tongue shot out from the darkness his arms were making, barely missing its target of Rem's head.

"Eww, that's disgusting, Tsu!" Ochaco exclaimed, hoping she won't also be a target. If she was being honest, Mezo was basically a walking tank with Asui's small size. It was even worse because her frog-like friend was hidden in the darkness, making it impossible to- "That's it...Toritsuka!" she whispered loudly to the girl in the rear.

"What is it?" Kyoko asked, wondering why she had to interact with one of her stressors. Her rival gave a faux innocent smile.

"Tsu is hiding in a veil of darkness. Isn't shadows your thing?" Uraraka asked, already knowing the answer. Her boyfriend's stalker blinked in realization, before also sporting an 'innocent' smile.

"Uraraka, reach inside your right pants pocket and do your thing," Kyoko told her, activating her Quirk to bridge the two spaces together. With a nod, Ochaco did as she told, feeling her hand touch webbed skin. A simple thought later and Shoji's team began to float upwards uncontrollably, keeping them safe.

"Creative," Shinso remarked, temporarily putting his left hand under his chin in thought. _"Don't they hate each other?"_

"Twenty seconds left, everyone! Get movin'!" shouted the over-the-top announcer. Like the school bell signifying the end of the day, Todoroki's team (which consisted of Kaminari, Momo, and Iida) came sprinting at them from behind over a hundred meters away. Utilizing their unique Quirks, both Denki and Yaoyorozu were supporting Shoto as they wore roller skates. Craning his neck around, Izuku saw that Iida was their horse, propelling them at speeds that normally wouldn't be possible. Midoriya's mind went into overdrive, trying to come up with a plan.

 _"Iida's top speed is roughly 51 kilometers per hour. Assuming he's at least a hundred meters away from us, that means he'll get here in roughly seven seconds. The amount of time it takes to lift up my entire team into the air will take too long, and if I try to stop them by pushing them back I could get disqualified if they fall. Come on, think, think!"_ he shouted in his mind as he watched them get even closer. _"There must be a weakness, something I can exploit that'll stop them. With my Quirk, what could I-"_

Realization dawned on the greenette's face. It was so simple, so simple in fact that he anticipated it during the first game when he worked with the robotic-like teen. Hope ignited in Deku's chest as he changed Todoroki's gravity so he'd slowly float upwards. The effect was immediate, as instead of the dual-Quirk user snatching away their headband as they ran by, they lifted only slightly into the air before Tenya's thrusters made them spin wildly in place, effectively trapping them in one spot as they experienced NASA's former space training. 

"And time!" Present Mic exclaimed. Hearing that it was over, Midoriya gently put them back down as he and everyone else heard the results. "In first place, never losing that precious headband of theirs, it's Team Rem! Followed by Team Todoroki, Team Bakugo, and Team Monoma!" Shouts of excitement and praise came from the audience, but the time traveler couldn't hear it from his heart hammering away in his chest.

"We did it...we actually did it!" he excitedly shouted, grabbing everyone in a tight hug as he cried hysterically. 

"Jeez, man! Get a hold of yourself!" Shinso yelled, trying his best to escape to no avail. 

"I must agree with Shinso, this is most uncomfortable," Rem added, feeling nauseous from the miasma coming from the boy. He took the hint as he stopped the hug (much to Uraraka's and Toritsuka's disappointment). 

"Sorry, it just...thanks, guys. Especially you, Rem," Midoriya complimented, giving one of his precious smiles. The former maid turned her head slightly to the side, confused by the statement. "Come on, don't sell yourself short! Your 'huma' Quirk did wonders in protecting us!" he clarified, giving a thumbs-up as he closed his eyes.

"Midoriya, while I appreciate the praise, I don't have a-" the humanoid demon tried to tell him before a blonde with periwinkle purple irises interrupted them.

"Excuse me, are you Midoriya Izuku?" he asked, smugness and superiority radiating off of him. 

"Um, y-yeah. That's me. And you are?" Deku asked back, wondering why the stranger was talking to him.

"Oh, silly me. My name is Monoma Neito, and I wanted to congratulate you for winning first place!" Monoma said, holding his right hand to the other. Before the greenette could do that, however, the former maid stepped in-between and grasped the blonde's hand instead.

"Sorry for intruding, but it was a team effort. Right, Midoriya?" Rem asked, not taking her eyes off the ill-intent teen. Neito stared right back, confusion and masked annoyance behind his façade of friendliness. 

"O-of course, Rem. You okay?" Izuku asked, feeling like he missed something as he watched Monoma walk off, looking a bit peeved out. The cerulean-haired girl shook her head.

"Midoriya, be careful around that boy. He has ill intents in store for you," she cryptically said as she took Shinso's hand, guiding him away from his friends to ask an important question in private. _"As do I,"_ she thought menacingly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you guys mind if I renamed this fanfiction in the future?


	20. Performance Issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first one-on-one battle commences and Midoriya gets outwitted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had fun making the new and improved one-on-one bracket. Don't expect it to be similar to the canon version.  
>   
> Sorry for the shorter than normal chapter, as my mom's birthday (not to mention my own) happened and I had to juggle a lot. Do not fret, as long as I don't get in an accident, the next chapter will be released as per schedule.

**1:30** **PM  
** "After that heart pounding match, I'd say it's time for them to have a thirty minute lunch break, everyone! Students, please follow Miss Midnight for lunch!" Present Mic instructed, turning off his Quirk. With the spotlight off of him, Yamada decided to put down his façade of overexcitement as he proceeded to put his hands to his throat. Tiredly, he groaned out, "Shota, my voice...it's so parched."

Aizawa tsked, rolling his eyes in annoyance as he supported his chin with his right hand. "Nezu specifically knew this would happen and you ignored him again this each year," the tired man yawned out, smacking his lips together.

* * *

 **1:31 PM  
** Rem led her first ever friend away from the group, saying that she had a couple of questions for him. Once they were out of earshot from the greenette, the former maid/slave walked to the left of her friend as they made their way to the cafeteria. Shinso, a worried look on his face, asked, "Okay, Rem, what's wrong?" His humanoid demon friend debated internally if having an answer was more important than having their friendship. Uncomfortable silence ensued for ten seconds before Hitoshi stammered out, "Y-you know, you make a guy nervous if you don't answer..."

"Shinso, do you think Midoriya is a good person?" she asked bluntly, no trace of insincerity on her face only...fear? The lilac-haired teen nodded his head before doing a doubletake, realizing what she had said. 

Wide awake at her questioning, he turned to look at her, "What makes you say that?" He visibly watched Rem stiffen under his look, as if she was worried about being hurt. "Rem?"

"...you're not mad?" Rem meekly asked, averting her gaze from her savior. Shinso, embarrassed with what he was about to do, grasped her right hand with his left, rubbing small circles onto the back of her hand. Blinking away her shock, the blue-haired girl looked at the boy, her eye's twinklingly in surprise and relief. 

"Why would I be? I'm just...curious," Hitoshi explained, ironically averting his eyes for much the same reason as her earlier. Rem sighed, putting her left hand through her hair in exasperation. 

"Because he smells bad!" she exclaimed out of nowhere, catching some weird looks from some competitors along with her friend.

After an awkward couple of seconds of not knowing what to say, Shinso, wondering how best to calm down his distraught friend, weakly replied, "I mean...I can ask him to shower after the tournament," he said as more of a question than a statement, not knowing why Midoriya's hygiene was so important. Rem sighed, knowing she probably worded it very poorly.

"No, he can't wash the smell away...Shinso, ever heard of the Witch Cult?" the oni asked, knowing the chance was nil. Her friend shook his head, a thoughtful look upon his face. While not saying it, it appeared that Hitoshi was hanging onto every word she said. "The Witch Cult is a secret organization from my world who burned down my home when I was but a youngling."

"That's...I'm so sorry, Rem," he apologized, eliciting a confused 'huh' from the girl.

"Why are you sorry? You didn't do it," the former maid innocently corrected. Clearly not expecting that response, Shinso let out a small chuckle, causing Rem's face to turn a cherry red. "Why are you laughing?!" she huffed, causing him to chuckle even harder.

Wiping a tear from his eye, Hitoshi gently responded, "Because you're _you_ , Rem. Please, don't ever change. I don't know about this whole Witch thing, but I'd trust Midoriya with my life if I had to, so...give him a chance."

A sigh escaped her lips. Her plan of taking out the greenette after the tournament was down the drain, as they say. "Very well, Shinso. I'll give him a chance."

**2:00 PM  
** "All right, dear listeners, lunch time is over, so it's time for the last game!" Hizashi announces, wisely using the microphone he was given to give his poor vocals a break. "Now, get ready, everyone, as it's the thing you've been waiting an entire year for: It's the one-on-one battle!" The audience went wild, quite literally shaking the stadium with their excitement. "The sixteen students who won last game will be duking it out against each other in a one on one setting!"

"Wait, shouldn't there be seventeen of us?" Midoriya muttered out loud. He, along with all the other competitors, stood out on the field under the warm sun. Bakugo, who was leaning against the wall, rolled his eyes in annoyance upon hearing his friend mutter like they were still in kindergarten.

"Oi, Deku, Glasses left awhile ago, you dumbass. Something about his brother," Katsuki supplied.

"Anything specific, Kacchan?" Izuku asked, wanting to know more about why Iida would risk his chance of recognition.

"I don't fuckin' know," Bakugo gruffly responded as he looked to the podium. His eyes widened upon realizing his mistake of helping the nerd out. "Fuck! You made me miss it, you stupid Deku!" he shouted, pointing to the stage where Midnight stood, apparently done with whatever she was saying. Above her, the LED screen lit up, revealing who was fighting who. 

**Meanwhile, 2:03 PM  
** After hearing who he was fighting, Monoma quickly swaggered to the teacher's bathroom, as he knew that his information/plan was as solid as a rock. Stepping into the restricted area, the blonde began to whistle nonchalantly as he 'used' the bathroom stall. Waiting inside, he began to mentally count to sixty before he heard the telltale sign of the bathroom door opening. He flushed the toilet as he opened the stall door, putting on his best relieved face.

"Hey, students aren't allowed here," the scraggly-looking man informed him. The adult looked dead tired, looking like he hadn't slept at all.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Mr...?" Monoma apologized, suppressing a knowing grin. 

"Aizawa, kid. Now get out of here, I need to take a leak," Shoto offhandedly remarked, walking with purpose to the urinal. As they walked past each other, the teacher could have swore that he felt something brush past the back of his hand. _"Whatever."_

**A little while later  
** "Okay, the platform is set, Midnight," the block-like man, Cementoss, said as he gave a thumbs-up for the two teens to fight. As Cementoss walked away with thundering footsteps, he accidently bumped into a student. "Excuse me. Sorry for that."

The teen in question smiled softly as he shook his head. "None taken," Monoma assured him as he walked to the newly erected platform. He whispered softly to himself, "In fact, I should be thanking _you_."

**First Match, 2:05 PM  
** "Audience, it's time for the first match to start! On one side, we have someone from class 1-A who's the gravity star of the show, it's Midoriya Izuku!" Present Mic shouted, fireworks going off as he said so. "And on the other side, we have someone from class 1-B who always has a confident smirk, it's Monoma Neito!" he announced, equal fanfare going off.

 _"I can do this. I can do this. I can do this!"_ Midoriya chanted in his head, growing sweaty from his anxiety. Like the Pro Hero said, the teen stood on one side of the arena facing down his opponent who had an arrogant smirk on his face. 

"Three, two, one, GO!" 

Right before he even threw the blonde to the stratosphere, Monoma dropped to the ground like a sack of carrots, facedown and lifeless. The audience gasped, and all was silent. "Um...you all right?!" Izuku shouted, turning off his Quirk as he approached his (supposedly) braindead opponent. That proved to be a fatal mistake, however, as Midoriya felt his two legs and arms become encased in cement. The blonde, meanwhile, got up from his prone position, swiping off any and all dust that may have landed upon him. 

"Now that you asked," Neito began, his hair defying gravity as he stared right into the greenette's eyes, "yes, I am now," he finished, giving a maniacal laugh at the success of his plan.

Izuku struggled against the concrete that trapped him, but didn't feel his legs nor arms budge an inch. "You...you tricked me! That's-that's not fair!" he whined, desperate to escape.

Monoma laughed even harder, doing his best to keep his eyes open so his opponent couldn't retaliate. "You-you think this game is fair?!" Neito started to walk ever so slowly towards his prey as he held out his right hand. 

_"He copied Aizawa-sensei and Cementoss's Quirks! I should have taken Rem's words more seriously!"_

Standing before the struggling teen was his opponent, less than a foot away. As he started his monologue, he reached out for the time traveler's neck. "My simple-minded enemy, you must think you got some bad luck. But, truth is," Monoma paused for dramatic effect, his sadistic smile growing somehow larger, "I rigged the game from the start!" Deku closed his eyes, embarrassed that his own Quirk was most likely going to be used against him as he felt the the blonde firmly grasp his neck. He could still breathe, thankfully.

Neito released his physical hold of the other boy. A second or two passed before Izuku reopened his eyes, and was greeted to a most amusing sight: Monoma frowning like a confused puppy. The gravity manipulator swallowed some excess saliva to ask, "So...is that it?"

More determined than ever, Monoma once again grasped the boy's neck, and (unsurprisingly), nothing happened. "This usually works," he mumbled quietly to himself.

 _"I wonder why it doesn't work on me...no focus! Think, how do I get out of this?!"_ Izuku asked himself, hoping that his pathetic upper muscles would suddenly free him. _"Come on! My pride is on the line...that's it! Pride!"_ Midoriya's epiphany finally came to him, allowing him to start his plan. "Hey, man, it's no big deal. Performance issues aren't uncommon," the teen mockingly reassured him, giving one of his signature smiles. He saw Monoma give him a death glare, the blonde's eyes widening even further. Bingo."There was one time when Uraraka asked to make out on the ceiling, and boy, did I lose focus-" He was stopped mid-sentence as he was decked in the face, which freed Izuku from his concrete prison. Sadly, the greenette landed awkwardly, twisting his ankle upon landing. 

The copycat squatted to the ground, placing a protective barrier around himself so he could give his burning eyes a rest. Unbeknownst to both of the teens, Monoma's forehead had a vein popping out as he darkly threatened, "Do not mock me! We are _nothing_ alike!"

The main character slowly got up upon hearing the (admittedly) muffled threat. Standing on shaking legs, Midoriya approached the concrete barrier, trying to figure out what would be the best course of action until he got a devilish idea. As he reached into his right pocket, Izuku used his shadow Quirk to bridge his pocket to the darkness of the barrier, allowing him to give Monoma a tap. With a simple thought, the greenette simultaneously tried to close just the teen's eyelids while also removing the barriers through sheer gravity. The hastily-made pillars came away easily and stayed suspended in mid-air, while Neito kept trying in vain to open his eyes. " _Ahem_!"

With a small eep, his opponent admitted defeat, giving Midoriya Izuku the first win of the game. His heart pounded away in his chest as he heard the crowd around him whoop and cheer for him. It felt _amazing_. Midoriya sadly couldn't enjoy it forever as his stalker jumped out of his shadow, giving him a big hug while saying, "You did it, Izu! I knew you could!" Like almost all teenage boys, Izuku blushed madly upon the close contact. That blush quickly went away when he realized that not only was he still on camera, but this entire match was being recorded live by his mother who was, to his luck, also watching him right now.

 _"God damn it..."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I need an opinion from all of you. Would you rather have me write out all the fight scenes _for important characters only,_ or write out each individual fight scene and do a bunch in one chapter?  
> If no one votes (in time) I'll just do the former.


	21. Intermission: Todoroki's Suspicion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shoto questions Midoriya and then an (in)famous Pro Hero appears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be completely honest: This chapter is an amalgamation of chapter 22 and an idea that came to me when I was working. I hope you enjoy.

**1-A Observation Room, after the first match of Midoriya VS Monoma  
** Todoroki Shoto sat in the front of the viewing area, trying his best to observe the male gravity manipulator without his personal body guard/love interest catching him again. While reserved and usually nontalkative, he respected Midoriya Izuku. And to a lesser extent, somewhat feared the boy. But why? The greenette showed kindness on the second day of school when he made drinks for everyone in the dorm, which was very nice. He clearly put in the effort, with all the drawings of them using their Quirks and a specific drink for each of them. Hell, he even went out of his way to get color coded cups for all of them.

That was entirely the problem.

How exactly _does_ Midoriya know that he likes strawberry shotocake? Not once has Shoto told anyone else that he liked that drink (besides his siblings, of course). How did he know their favorite color? How did he know Bakugo Katsuki worked out in the mornings? If his little investigation was right, Bakugo and Midoriya were (are?) friends, so it could be possible that the greenette knew that the other worked out in the mornings. Except if that were true, why did the blonde question the greenette? Too many questions, too few answers. When he was offered the cup of strawberry goodness that morning, Todoroki realized two things: Midoriya is a kind person, and not one to underestimate.

If he was being honest with himself, Shoto was _really_ creeped out by the underlying logic from the kind gesture, only being saved by his poker face. The fact that Midoriya, a person who got knocked out on the first day of school, was able to discern absolutely everyone's favorite morning drink on his second day of school is impossible. Izuku knew everyone's names, their likes and dislikes, what Quirk they had, seemingly out of nowhere. How? That was the biggest question on his mind at the moment. The million dollar question. It's been racking his brain incessantly, always trying to be untangled like a stubborn knot. And it didn't stop there. For the first week of school, Midoriya had this far away look on his face, always zoning out during the lesson. The oddest part was that no matter the subject, Izuku _always_ answered the second before they called on him. And of course, he was right.

Todoroki, sick and tired of guessing and theorizing, decided to do something about it. Making up his mind, he stood up and walked with purpose over to the greenette. The teen looked up at him, his emerald eyes like a beautiful sea of green. Shoto stared impassively, unintentionally making the other squirm in his seat from the other's gaze. "Um, hey, Todoroki? C-can I help you?" Izuku asked, confused why the other was there. His friends stopped what they were doing, looking up to him as well. Uraraka watched with mild interest, coming down from an earlier laughing fit. Shinso and Rem watched in suspicion, knowing the dual-Quirk user was up to something. Kyoko, meanwhile, made a move towards the impassive teen before being stopped by her beloved. 

The heterochromatic-haired teen sighed before speaking, "I'd like to speak to you. In private," he added as an afterthought, not wanting an audience. With a hesitant smile, the two of them walked out of the room, catching a few concerned glances from some of their classmates. Stopping at an empty stretch of hallway, the two stood on opposite walls, the shadow of the fluorescent lighting acting as a sort of boundary. Midoriya was trying his best not to look nervous (unsuccessfully), while Todoroki exerted his usual aura of indifference. He narrowed his eyes, knowing this conversation could either go well or tremendously horrible if he said anything too outlandish. With that in mind, Shoto, trying to be as tactful as possible before he spoke, asked in an accusatory manner, "What are you hiding, Midoriya?" 

The greenette widened his eyes in shock, sweat forming upon his forehead. The teen looked like he was having trouble breathing, as if he expected something terrible to happen the moment he spoke. With an audible gulp, the boy stammered out, "H-h-hiding?! I'm n-not hiding a-anything!"

Todoroki shook his head, giving a faux knowing look to the other. "Did you say that for me, or more for yourself?" he asked, watching as Midoriya breathed in and out in a controlled manner, trying to calm himself down. That wouldn't do, Shoto needed him to crack. "I'll get straight to the point: Why were you so familiar with the class on the second day of school?"

The gravity manipulator stopped breathing as he blinked in confusion, thinking he must have heard the other wrong. "Wait, that's w-what this is about?" he asked, forgetting his earlier panic attack. The dual-Quirk user sighed, shaking his head.

"Not...entirely? Just-you knew the future, how?" Todoroki admitted, announcing his trump card a little too early in his opinion. "You knew my favorite drink, you knew everyone's Quirk, you aced absolutely everything during the first week of school without even paying attention in class. Hell, you didn't even fanboy when we saw All Might in his old costume, as if you've seen it a hundred times. Explain." 

The emerald-eyed boy paled upon hearing that, as if he was caught in an act. The teen opened his mouth a few times, trying his best to convey something he clearly didn't want to. "I...I can't tell you, Todoroki. I _really_ can't tell you. Bad things...happen when I explain," Midoriya admitted, looking off to the side as he said it. Shoto grinded his teeth in annoyance.

"So you ' _won't_ ' tell me how you know, but you _can_ tell me that you do know? How does that make sense?" the ice user asked, his patience running thin. As he looked into the gravity manipulator's eyes, however, he realized he might've touched a sore spot. His classmate went as stiff as a board, unmoving; his face expressionless. An uneasy silence fell upon the two of them. If Todoroki didn't have such a good poker face, he might've cracked under the threatening aura his classmate was emitting.

"...you think I don't want to tell you? You think I'm keeping this a secret because I _want_ to?" Midoriya whispered, barely being audible as tears threatening to run down his face. Upon hearing that, Todoroki felt those words resonate throughout his entire being. He remembered all those times when he was taught a 'lesson' by his father after trying to 'tattle' on him. Hesitantly, Shoto reached out with his right hand, about to comfort Midoriya; but before that could happen, the greenette's small bout of defenselessness vanished into smoke as Izuku put on a façade of happiness. Almost as if nothing happened between the two of them. The greenette's smile was blinding, if not a little forced. His whole demeanor changed like that of an actor. With a grin on his face, he nonchalantly explained, "I don't know why I can confirm your suspicions, Todoroki. I don't even know why this happened to me! But if I tell you..." Izuku didn't finish that sentence, frowning as he tried to keep himself from breaking down again. He shook his head, the smile back on his face. "The only thing I can tell you is that I know what everyone liked because of pain. Lots and lots of pain." Finished with the conversation, Midoriya attempted to walk away before being quickly grabbed by the heterochromatic-haired teen, stopping the former in his tracks.

"Wait," Todoroki commanded, looking Midoriya in his eyes with sympathy. "If you ever need someone to listen to you, even if it's mindless gibbering, talk to me, okay?" Izuku blinked slowly, a sad yet thankful smile dancing on his lips. Letting go, the two of them walked in different directions, ruminating over what they learned. _"_ _So, the answer to my question is...pain? How does pain explain knowledge?"_ Shoto thought, trying to distract himself of the fact that Izuku was suffering and that he was trying to hide it desperately from the world. As he walked over to a nearby water fountain, the teen realized how similar the two were. Todoroki preferred to hide his emotions, and very rarely did he wear it on his sleeve. Izuku, meanwhile, showed the world what _appeared_ to be what he was feeling like a second skin, showing his true feelings to those closest around him. The heterochromatic-haired teen vowed to himself two things after that conversation: That he'll figure out Midoriya's secret, and he'll get him the help he so desperately needed.

Whether he wanted it or not.

**A little while later, 2:12 PM  
** Todoroki sipped from the nearby water fountain, trying to come up with ways to defeat Midoriya in a hypothetical fight to distract himself from his earlier discoveries. So far, the odds were not in his favor.

While he would never admit it to the greenette's face, Shoto has been silently analyzing the other from afar, trying to come up with ways to beat him. As time went on, it increasingly became more and more clear that it was a fruitless endeav-task, it was a fruitless task. Even if Shoto fought at full strength ( **which he will never do**), the first match showed that if Izuku caught sight of him and/or touched him, it'd be game over. Even if frostbite wasn't a concern, Todoroki could launch hundreds of his super move, Heaven-Piercing Ice Wall, and still lose because he can't open his eyelids anymore. Or the greenette could move Todoroki's right arm at the last second, making him miss the gravity manipulator. Taking a deep breath, the teen cracked his right knuckles as he walked back to the observation room, ready for the awkwardness that'd come.

The hallway he was in was quite sterile, considering how many people must roam these hallways every year. The fluorescent lighting felt uncharacteristically warm, clearly showing the effort that U.A. put in to make the place all the more welcoming. As Todoroki rounded a corner on his left, he stopped immediately. A man was leaning on the wall to his right, clearly waiting for him. Tall build, muscular physique, pissed off look with red hot fire obscuring parts of his body. Shoto sighed very audibly, making sure the man heard him. Alas, the 'stranger' stood straight up, a disappointed look adorning his face. Frowning in annoyance, Todoroki hissed out, "Move out of my way, Endeavor."

The Number Two Pro Hero rolled his eyes in distaste, giving the death stare to the teenager. "Shoto, that is no way to address your father," the adult commented coldly, waiting for a response. It never came, as the aforementioned teen tried to walk away, doing his best to ignore his father's words. "You're disgracing me, son. If you only used your left side, you would be an unstoppable force," Enji reminded him as he watched his son walk further away. He growled out in annoyance, quickly grabbing his son by the back of his shirt. The Pro Hero threw him into the nearest wall, an audible and visible crack forming into the concrete. If Shoto wasn't going to listen, he'd **make** him listen. "Stop this childish and foolish rebellion, already! I excused it for far too long now! I didn't create those other three failures for you to act just like them! You WILL use your left side, you WILL stop this childish nonsense, and you WILL surpass All Might! Is. That. Clear?!" Enji yelled out as he made the fire on him puff up more.

With a defeated look that seemed to have accepted this fate many times before, Todoroki was about to give a pained curt of a nod before a familiar voice shouted down the hall. "Oi, asshole! The fuck kind of man are you, picking on your own kid while he's down?!" the angry blonde shouted, a pissed off look that rivaled the Number Two Pro Hero. Endeavor, unamused that someone not only questioned but also insulted him (a _student_ no less), unceremoniously dropped his son to the floor like an unwanted puppy as he stalked towards the red-eyed blonde. Right before he managed to light the student aflame for his insolence, his Quirk suddenly turned off as capture tape wrapped around his body, restraining him.

"I fall asleep on the toilet and this is what I come back to?" Aizawa groaned out, his (now red) eyes betraying his uncaring tone. "Endeavor, don't you dare touch my students again unless you're willing to go through a PR disaster," Eraserhead warned, glaring at the other Pro Hero as his hair floated upwards. Releasing him, the mountain of a man stared menacingly at the tired adult before stomping away, leaving melted steps in his wake. " _Sigh_ , you two, come with me," Aizawa commanded, walking to the teacher's break room. Todoroki and Bakugo glanced at each other before doing as they were told, the latter of which mumbled angerly all the way.


	22. Exploding Away Daddy Issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find out more about Todoroki's family life and Bakugo is aggressive helpful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear, this chapter is complete whiplash for me. I go from struggling to write chapter 21 to breezing through chapter 22.

**Teacher's Break Room, 2:20 PM  
** "This is fuckin' bullshit," Bakugo grumbled out, angerly moving the seat so he could sit down on the cool metal foldout chair next to the half-and-half teen. He watched in annoyance as his teacher made his way to the vending machine, yawning on the way.

"You two, do you want drinks?" Aizawa asked, his hand already reaching for his black wallet that was in his right back pocket. His two students shook their heads, out of manners or lack of money (probably the latter, now that he thought of it). Eraserhead sighed, knowing he shouldn't do this because he only has so much money for those jelly packets that keep him going. "It's on the house, just tell me what you what."

Todoroki blinked, not expecting his teacher to act this way. He always saw his teacher as harsh and critical, but maybe he was also secretly caring? "I'm not picky, but if there's any green tea I'd appreciate that," the teen replied, tapping his hands on the table in front of him in a rhythm to pass the time.

"Tsk, I want something spicy," Bakugo demanded, getting a weird look from Shoto and a hidden eye roll from his teacher. "The fuck's your problem?!" he yelled, not wanting to be looked at without permission. Aizawa groaned, tapping in the two codes for his students as they bickered.

"I don't have a problem, but what kind of drink is spicy?" Todoroki asked, confusion evident on his face. Katsuki looked at him as in disbelief.

"You've never had a spicy drink, Icy-Hot?!" the blonde asked as he nearly choked on the words in horror. The sound of metal cans being deposited wasn't heard by either teen.

Shoto, somehow, got even more confused, looking like a lost puppy. "'Icy-Hot'?" he asked hesitantly, wondering what the hell the explosive boy was talking about. Their teacher gave the drinks to his students as he sat down, watching in silence as the two interacted, a smile threatening to ruin his whole uncaring attitude. 

Bakugo facepalmed, an audible _SMACK_ being heard. "Sheltered much?" he asked in annoyance, opening his can of soda and downing a quarter of it in one chug.

"Manners much?" Todoroki shot back, taking a sip of his green tea. It was nice, but it would taste better if it was hot. He thought about how easy it would be, just a little bit of his left side and the drink would be- _"No. Not now, not **ever**."_

Right before Bakugo could start his little tantrum at being insulted, Aizawa cleared his throat to get their attention. "Enough with the arguing. I hear enough as it is, I don't need more. Todoroki," he turned his droopy (yet serious) eyes to the heterochromatic-haired teen, "explain why your father did...you know what," he vaguely commanded, trying to be tactful at the last moment. 

The teen stills, taking a long sip of his tea to find words to get out of this mess. He couldn't just _explain_ , it was his problem, not theirs. Besides, he could handle it himself (as he already was before his teacher/classmate decided to be nosy). So Shoto said the one thing he hoped would work, "No."

Aizawa and Bakugo looked at him as if that was the most ridiculous and stupid thing they have ever heard. His teacher sighed, putting his left hand through his hair in slight frustration. The adult took a deep breath before turning towards his more volatile student. As usual, his student looked pissed (as usual), "Illogical response. Bakugo, explain."

Katsuki slammed his fists on the table, a slight explosion forming from his emotional instability. "Finally! Half-and-Half here tried walkin' away from his asshole of a sperm donor, got thrown into a wall, I saved his worthless ass, and you know the rest," he flippantly finished, his eyes having a fire behind them.

"I didn't ask for a summary, especially not one tinted in narcissism," the Pro Hero deadpanned, scratching the back of his scraggy black hair. "One of you will tell me what Endeavor said, or I'll have to involve the principal," he threatened, waiting for the inevitable shudder that _should've_ rolled through them. It never came, which worried the tired man as he knew firsthand what that three foot chimera could do. At the practical a couple months back, there apparently was a very pervy test taker who was harassing all the females that came within ten meters of him, especially a current student of his named Yaoyorozu Momo. Once Nezu found out about it he made it his personal mission to ban the purple-haired freak from every hero school in the country, along with somehow making sure he could never walk in public comfortably ever again. A brilliant plan, in Aizawa's humble opinion, but also downright terrifying if you took in account that it only took the hybrid a single day to completely ruin someone's life. 

"Sir, I can't," Todoroki replied, gripping his drink in slight anger and annoyance, not noticing he was accidently freezing his drink. Bakugo rolled his eyes at the display, as he could clearly tell that Half-and-Half didn't want to be here, so why not just walk out? That's what he did when his old hag pissed him off. Always worked for him.

"And why can't you?" Aizawa countered back, taking out one of his jelly packets to drink as he waited for a reply. After a couple seconds of tense silence, Shota knew he had to make the kid crack, as it was killing him to see a child being potentially abused. _"Time to do what I do best,"_ he thought to himself, clearing his voice for dramatic effect. "Todoroki, I know that you don't want to tell me, but I already know why you don't." 

The teen blinked in surprise, thinking that his father's lawyers would've done a better job. Endeavor always made sure that the ice user knew how useless it was to report him to the authorities when he was putting his son through a 'lesson'. He discreetly looked to his right, noticing that Katsuki was still in the room. "Really, sensei? Why don't I want to tell you?" he asked, wanting to know if the man before him was bluffing, as he already knew he was capable of such deception.

Good at improvisation, the teacher continued his lie/logic, "Stop playing dumb. Your family life must be horrible, as we both know your scar was no accident, just like how your mother entering a mental hospital shortly afterwards isn't either," he bluffed, keeping his façade of confidence up. In all truthfulness the lie _sounded_ right, as it made sense. Ten years ago, Endeavor told the public that Todoroki hurt himself by accident while playing with his siblings and that Rei was suffering through an unknown mental illness. Of course, Eraserhead never trusted the Number Two Pro Hero after the teacher noticed that all of the reporters who were being 'too nosy for their own good' disappeared for good, so it was easy to put two and two together.

The youngest son of Endeavor stayed silent, not daring himself to speak. He just _had_ to call it a bluff and now he had to reveal his family's dark secret. To be honest, Todoroki didn't care anymore, if he wanted to know the truth then his teacher shall learn the truth (and Bakugo as well). He sighed as he stared down at his left hand critically as he relayed his story, "Before my fourth birthday, I remember playing with my siblings in the yard, my mom watching us play Heroes Vs. Villains. I would always play the hero, saving my sister from the 'evil' villain. We would always play that same game, and afterwards we would eat. It was fun. When I got my Quirk, it should've been more fun...it wasn't," he somberly explained, the words coming out like a tidal wave, unstoppable. Shoto went on to explain how he became isolated from his siblings, trained brutally to the bone, and how his scar came to be.

By the end of the story, Aizawa wasn't simply mad, he was absolutely _livid_. To treat a child like that, to cause your wife to snap at seeing a particular color for God's sake was...monstrous, to say the least. The teacher was only shaken out of his thoughts when he heard menacing explosions coming from Bakugo, who had a dark murderous expression on his face, a look telling him that the kid wanted a fight right then and there. His student looked indignant, ready to scream at this injustice at any moment. Conveniently the loudspeaker announced at that precise moment, "Will Bakugo Katsuki of class 1-A please come to the arena?"

"Of fuckin' course. We are **not** done here," Kacchan curtly reminded them, stomping off to go to his match. The door slammed behind him, leaving the adult and the other teen alone in the room. Aizawa dropped his hard expression, giving the dual-colored hair teen a compassionate look of sympathy and slight guilt. Shota looked back, feeling an odd sense of a weight being lifted off of his body. 

"Todoroki, have you told this to anyone else before?" the teacher asked, hoping illogically that the abused boy did so. When the silence stretched on long enough, Eraserhead continued, "Why didn't you tell me or the principal about this sooner? We could have helped you-"

"That's where you're wrong, sensei. My father is MY problem, and I can handle him on my own," Shoto rudely interrupted, his monotonous voice having a hint of resentment. "It doesn't matter what you do to that garbage heap of a man. My problems are MY problems. Not yours."

The door suddenly (and without warning) opened, revealing the white-furred chimera of the school. "Quite contradictory, isn't it?" he asked as he sauntered in, making his way to the Pro Hero. Standing on one of the chairs so he could be eye level with the two, the principal continued, "Didn't you say to Midoriya that if he ever needed someone to talk to you'd be there?" he questioned, his ever-present smile still on his face.

"That was a _private_ conversation," Shota reminds the animal, annoyed that he was caught showing emotions to a fellow classmate.

"I disagree. How can a conversation be private if you're in a public hallway and had an observer?" Nezu counters, laughing slightly as he wiped away a tiny tear. Looking up to the hanging clock in the room, the principal slowly began muttering, "5...4...3...2...1-" At the exact second he finished counting, Bakugo slammed open the door and sat back down into his seat, unfazed with the additional person. Catching a couple weird looks, the chimera explained, "I don't have a 200 IQ just for show, you know. Bakugo, thank you for joining us. How was the match?" he asked, acting like everything was normal. 

"Tsk, it was pathetically easy," Katsuki replied, a smug look appearing for a second before he remembered the bombshell that his classmate dropped on them, making him pissed off again.

"Excellent! Bakugo, Todoroki, return back to the observation room as Aizawa and I have a lot to discuss," he commanded, forcing the two to leave.

* * *

 **3:30 PM  
** The winners of round one, those being Midoriya, Kuroiro, Toritsuka, Bakugo, Mina, Todoroki, Rem, and Shinso, went on to round two, with each battle lasting no less than five minutes. Izuku mostly wasn't surprised, as all pairs had one person who had a Quirk that ended the match instantly, such as himself with Gravity Alteration or Todoroki's ice abilities. However, the exception was Shinso's match against Rem; by all that he's seen of her, the blue-haired girl should have won instantaneously, yet (purposely?) responded to Hitoshi when he casually talked to her. Whatever the case may be, Midoriya, as well as Bakugo, Todoroki, and Shinso moved onto round three. 

"Okay, dear listeners! It's time for the first matchup of the third round!" Present Mic announced, getting screams of cheering back as a response. "Now that's lively! In one corner, we have someone who thinks gravity is merely a suggestion, it's Midoriya Izuku! In the other corner, we have a someone who's bark is the same as his bite with dynamite for hands, it's Bakugo Katsuki! Andddddd, fight!"

 _"This should be easy,"_ thought Midoriya, giving himself a slight smile to himself as he activated his gravity Quirk on Kacchan. He changed his friend/bully's gravity so that he'd instantly leave the ring and touch the floor, a simple yet effective plan in Deku's opinion. Alarm bells went off in the greenette's head, however, as he realized that Bakugo wasn't doing anything to stop him, and was in fact creating some sort of bright light from his hands. Suddenly the light exploded, engulfing the entirety of the arena as it reached Midoriya's eyes before he could close them. All the boy saw was white, with a long annoying ringing in his ears. He couldn't hear, he couldn't see, and to make it all worse it seemed he even couldn't passively change his gravity anymore. The time traveler felt like a sitting duck, helpless to any and all attacks the blonde could throw at him. 

Bakugo grinned ferally, his eyes stinging slightly from the move he just pulled. Katsuki was proud that he managed to one up the Nerd, even with a Quirk as broken as his. Arrogantly, he strolled over to his opponent and slammed his right palm into Midoriya's face, unleashing a (relatively) small explosion to further weaken him before throwing him out of the ring. Ignoring the praise and cheer, Kacchan walked down the concrete steps over to Deku, who was laying down on the ground breathing in and out in a rhythm to deal with this new type of pain he was feeling in his eyes. Crouching down, the blonde asked, "It was a pathetic attempt, even for you, Deku. You should've won, yet with all that power, you're still a fuckin' dumbass, you know that?" 

"WHAT?!" Midoriya shouted at the top of his lungs, unable to know how loud he was being. Bakugo, pissed/slightly relieved that the boy didn't hear him, yanked him up off the ground to lead him to the nurse. As the two walked through the maze-like hallways, Deku annoyingly kept bumping into the walls around him, no matter how many times the blonde warned him. Making sure that no one would see him, Bakugo begrudgingly held the boy's hand as they made their way to Recovery Girl. Halfway through the trip, the Nerd thought it was a good idea to speak, "K-Kacchan? Um...thanks," he admitted out of nowhere.

"The fuck you thanking me for? I'm the one who blinded your sorry ass," Katsuki reminded, looking slightly guilty as he said so. He lead them to the left, tugging the boy to wordlessly tell him to follow him. "Besides, if you can't walk after a little explosion what good are you?!" he asked gruffly, wanting to smack the shit out of him.

"Saving lives," Midoriya simply responded, reminding the both of them of the greenette's accomplishments.

"Tsk, whatever. Get inside, Deku," Bakugo commanded, pushing the gravity manipulator inside the nurse's office. The room was fairly average, having four empty hospital beds to the left of the door and a freezer to the right. In front of both teens was the Youthful Heroine, Recovery Girl, who was sitting down as she wrote on some paperwork. Upon hearing the door open, she waited patiently for the two teens to approach her before she picked up her cane and whacked Bakugo with it.

"Of all the dangerous, idiotic things you could do with your Quirk, you decide to use it against someone's _unprotected_ eyes?!" Chiyo shouted as she continued to wail at the blonde. After a couple more good whacks, the old heroine finally relented, calming down ever so slightly. "And you, young man," she turned her attention to Midoriya, who looked like a deer caught in headlights, "would you like some gummies?"

"Sure?" Izuku responded, feeling whiplash from the quick change of atmosphere.

"Okay, young lad, I'll give you some after I heal you, but be warned, you may feel a little tired after I do this," Recovery Girl warned before her lips elongated towards the mop of green hair. Uncomfortable silence stretched on for five seconds before she stopped, leaving the two waiting to see what would happen before a green light emanated from Izuku's eyes, healing them completely. 

Blinking hesitantly, Midoriya (while unnaturally tired) felt better, and after a quick test to ensure that his Quirks still worked, he bowed before the aging heroine. "Thank you, Recovery Girl!"

"Dearie, it's my job to help unfortunate souls like you," she said while giving Bakugo a glare. As promised, she gave Izuku several green gummies before shooing them away.

**Final Match, Bakugo VS. Todoroki, 3:45 PM  
** "While that last match was short, I'm sure this one won't! These two contestants have both shown top class performance, and now they're going to duke it out, dear listeners!" Yamada shouted, getting pumped up like the rest of the crowd. "We both know who these two are, so let them start the game when I give the signal, everybody!"

On the concrete arena stood two polar opposite students, staring each other down unflinchingly. An explosive personality on one side, an ice cold exterior on the other. Bakugo narrowed his red pupils, feeling his palms sweaty already. Before the match started, Kacchan began to collect excess sweat that wasn't already on his palms. Now ready, he purposely didn't let his worry show on his face as he warningly greeted the other teen, "Icy-Hot..."

Todoroki was in a similar predicament, as Katsuki can (and will) destroy any and all ice glaciers he can create. And unlike the heterochromatic-eyed teen, Bakugo doesn't have a time limit before he gets frostbite. It's a battle of time, where one grows weaker while the other prospers, it all depends on who can last the longest. "Bakugo..."

"START!" Present Mic shouted.

As soon as the word left the man's mouth, several spiky ice glaciers of tremendous size rushed over to the explosive blonde. Immediately, Kacchan released an explosion similar to the one he used on Midoriya as he held out his hands in front of him, resulting in the ice being destroyed nearly instantaneously. Black smoke and a chill surrounded the arena, both opponents eyeing the other down. "Oi, tell me...why do you never use your left?" Bakugo asked as he stood in a defensive position, readying himself for an attack.

Shoto narrowed his eyes, "I promised myself that I'd win this without _his_ power," he stated simply before slamming his right hand down on the ground, releasing so much ice that it completely entrapped Katsuki. After a second of waiting, Todoroki turned around, content with the loud Pro Hero to announce that he won before everyone heard muffled explosions. It was slow at first, but steady like a heartbeat. Then, a detonation blew open the side of the ice facing the arena, spraying the ice user and the audience alike its frozen contents. Out of the smoke and frost came two red pupils, showing a very displeased (not to mention heavily pissed off) Bakugo.

"You son of bitch...DON'T FUCKIN' UNDERSTIMATE ME!" Katsuki shouted before he began to propel himself with his Quirk. In haste, the half-and-half teen reached out to grab the blonde with his right hand, only to watch in surprise as Bakugo changed his momentum at the last second, completely avoiding the outstretched hand. "HIS POWER?!" Kacchan asked as he grabbed the top of Todoroki's head. Using his momentum, he swung the teen into the prison he was incased in before. "It's _YOUR_ damn power, you half-and-half bastard! You think I give a damn about your daddy issues, Icy-Hot?! Stop fuckin' around already and get over yourself!" Shoto climbed his way out of his ice, holding his head with his left hand in pain as he watched Bakugo slowly approach while creating mini explosions to intimidate the other. "All the extras here want to be number one, they put their all into it!" In desperation, Todoroki launched another large wall of ice, only to see that his opponent somehow managed to block all of his attacks. "But you're the only one who's half-assing it! To be a number one hero is to put your all into it!" he yelled as he threw a right hook at Shoto.

Time seemed to slow down as Todoroki realized that Bakugo, a student who was too loud and obnoxious for his own good, was right. How could he possibly be the next Number One Pro Hero if he didn't give it his all? How could he forget what his mom told him, all those years ago about how he can be whoever he wants to be? Shoto Todoroki's zeal to never use his left side to spite his father and to prove to the man he didn't need it broke inside of him. And what was rebuilt in its place was the conviction to use his power for good, to strive not to be his father's 'masterpiece', but to be his own person. The right hook would've landed if not for the eruption of fire sprouting from the boy's left.

"IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS?! DEAR LISTENERS, TODOROKI HAS FINALLY USED HIS FLAMES!" Present Mic shouted, stating the obvious as the crowd went wild.

A proud smirk appeared on Bakugo's face as he cracked his knuckles. "You're finally takin' it seriously, ain't ya, Todoroki?" he asked rhetorically, giving a feral grin. Shoto felt the frostbite recede as he chuckled for a brief second, amused that his actual name was said.

"You purposely riled me up to make me more powerful? To help your enemy...who's the one 'fucking' around, again?" the dual-Quirk user asked as he spread out ice all around him, cooling the nearby area's temperature rapidly.

"It wouldn't be an indisputable first place if you ain't fighting at full strength, you dumb fuck. Now...DIE!" Bakugo shouted as he released one of the biggest explosions of his life at the other. In retaliation, Todoroki sent a huge torrent of fire towards the blonde, resulting in a detonation so large it covered absolutely everyone not protected in smoke. Everyone waited with baited breath, eager to see who won. As the smoke cleared, much to everyone's surprise, Todoroki and Bakugo were laying outside of the arena on opposite sides.

"It's a tie!" Midnight announced, cracking her whip. The audience erupted in noise and fanfare, with class 1-A's student being the loudest out of all of them.

**4:00 PM  
** "The U.A.'s Sports Festival for the first years have been completed. And now, for the award ceremony!" revealed the R-Rated Heroine. With a cloud of glittery smoke came four students: Todoroki Shoto and Bakugo Katsuki who tied for first place (the latter having to be restrained from leaving without his prize), Shinso Hitoshi in second place, and lastly, Midoriya Izuku in third place. "But it won't be me handing out these shiny medals! That person would in fact-"

"BE ME!" finished a loud voice, cutting her off. A booming hearty laugh soon came after from the rooftop of the stadium. All eyes shifted to see the Number One Pro Hero jump down before Midnight with his signature smile. "I must say, you four did amazingly!" All Might collectively told them. Striding over to the medals, the secretly damaged hero picked up the bronze one before hanging it around Izuku's neck. "Young Midoriya, you're improving your skill every time I see you! Keep it up!" Hearing that from his idol, the greenette did his best to not cry on live television. Putting the silver medal around the mind manipulator's neck, the Pro congratulated him as well. "Young Shinso, you made quite a splash today! I do suggest, however, learning some practical martial arts, as some villains will know of your Quirk!" Finally, he stepped to the two first place winners. Starting with the more calm Todoroki, he (like all the others so far) placed one of two gold medals around the boy's neck. "Young Todoroki, congratulations. I take it that things are slightly better now?" All Might asked, hopeful.

Shoto gave a barely perceivable nod of his head. With that finished, All Might picked up the last and final gold medal as he approached the volatile blonde. "Now then, young Bakugo! I believe those restraints are a little too much, don't you agree?" the man asked as he took off the teen's muffle. He regretted the act of kindness immediately as soon as Katsuki spoke.

"THERE CAN'T BE TWO FIRST PLACE WINNERS, ALL MIGHT! I DON'T SEE THIS AS A WIN, SO GET THAT SHIT AWAY FROM ME!" the boy screamed out, trying in vain to break out of his restraints. If Midoriya didn't know any better, he would've bet that Kacchan would succeed (given enough time, of course).

"Nonsense, Young Bakugo! But if it makes you feel any better, think of this shiny gold medal as a wound! A...punishment, if you like," All Might amended, the light reflecting ever so mockingly into the blonde's face. Thrusted upon him quickly, he had no choice but to wear the first place medal in shame. "The next generation of heroes are sprouting, and so, I have one last thing to announce. Everyone, please say it with me!"

"Great job, students!" "Plus Ultra!"

Boos and complaints arose from the crowd, with All Might sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "I just thought everyone worked hard..."

**Common Room of the Class 1-A Dorms, 5:00 PM  
** "Everyone, good job. Most of you lived up to my expectations, so that's a plus. You have no school for the next two days, but that doesn't mean you should slack off," Aizawa reminded them, pointedly looking at Kaminari in particular. "In any case, get some rest like I will most certainly be doing. You all earned it. Night," their teacher finished, but not before he made a subtle motion for Shoto to follow him. The two males walked in the stairwell of the dorms, looking at each other impassively. "Todoroki, if you ever need me, for any reason, contact me at any time, all right?" the teacher asked as he discreetly passed a small note with his personal phone number on it. "Just as a precaution, _do not_ hand that out to anyone else unless you have a good reason." Without waiting for a response, Aizawa made off to his room, yawning all the way. Finally behind his closed door, Shota allowed himself to smile freely, without fear of being caught. He was just so damn proud of them, how could he not be? Especially Bakugo and Todoroki, the former because the teacher honestly thought that the blonde was self-centered at best and completely uncaring to others at worst; and the latter for overcoming some of his issues, unlocking even greater potential for him.

Aizawa sighed happily, deciding to treat himself by having a cold beer. Just one of course, as he still needed to patrol later on tonight. As he laid back in his yellow sleeping bag while watching the news, taking a swig every now and then, his gut told him something was wrong. _"_ _Now that I'm thinking about it, Iida hasn't come back yet...maybe I_ _should-"_ A chime went off inside of his pants, interrupting him mid-thought. Groaning as he fished for his phone, he looked at the new text message from an unknown caller. The message, while short, made him feel uneasy: _"Sensei, we need to talk about Midoriya. He needs help."_

* * *

**END OF ARC TWO**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, the more I think about it, wouldn't it be weird if Midoriya just randomly started swearing? So...why the hell is he doing exactly that in my fic? The more I think about it, the more I want to go back and change the wording in the earlier chapters. What do you guys think?


	23. Hero Names and a Coffee Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The class chooses their hero names, Midoriya and Toritsuka go to a familiar coffee shop, and hints for a future chapter is thrown in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, all! Welcome to the third arc of my story! I can't believe you guys have stuck with me so far (especially you, MRU911), so I thank you all.  
> On a side note, would you guys be interested in reading short omakes of this story that didn't make it into the final draft? It'd be stuff like 'How did Shinso's fight with Rem go?' or 'What did Aizawa and Nezu talk about when Todoroki and Bakugo left?'. I'd like to hear what you have to say.

**ARC THREE:  
THE SELFISHNESS OF ALTRUISM**

* * *

**The First Week of May, 12:00 PM  
** To say that Midoriya Izuku was worried for his friend (Iida Tenya) was an understatement. The usually robotic, stern, and earnest friend of his, who had a softer side to him once you got to know him, was silent, eerily so. Iida wasn't trying to get everyone to quiet down before their teacher came in, he wasn't trying to make Sero or Ojiro to actually sit down on their seats instead of their desks. Instead, Tenya was forlornly and menacingly staring off into space, lost in a world of his creation. The look of pure, unadulterated hatred was evident on his face, and Midoriya didn't know what to do about it. Summoning some courage, the greenette got up from his seat and tapped on his friend's right shoulder, trying to gain his attention. The apathetic glasses-wearing teen turned around, looking blankly through Deku rather than at him. "You okay, Iida? You look..." Izuku stopped talking, watching as a fellow friend of his put on a façade to mask his emotions (much like the main character).

"Whatever do you mean, Midoriya?" Tenya lied, adjusting his glasses as he looked at him, accidently letting out his malice towards his green-haired friend. The time traveler faltered for a second, being brought back to his uncomfortable past. Iida, upon noticing this, immediately stood up and gave a 90° to his friend. "I am sorry, Midoriya! I didn't mean to...to-"

"N-no! It's-it's okay, Iida. I'm just worried about you," Midoriya admitted, scratching the back of his in nervousness. Iida got out of his bow and realized everyone was looking at the two of them before they went back to their original conversations. "Do you want to talk about it?" Izuku offered, hoping he could help him. That would never come, however, as their teacher walked in through the door.

Aizawa, as usual, yawned as he got himself situated in his desk, putting his legs on his desk as he stretched. The class's volume slowly died down, confused about how mellow their teacher was acting. "Hmm, seven seconds? You guys are improving, good. If you're wondering, I'm going to be taking it easy today, as not only is Midnight going to help run the class, but you all are deciding on code names, more commonly known as hero names," he clarified, taking out a small remote in front of him before clicking a button on it. The blackboard magically lit up, showing all the students' names and a number next to them. "Sorry I didn't get to it before, but two things: One, the other student who should have joined us has decided to become part of the faculty after she was debriefed, because she said all the classes were 'beneath her'. She is Rem's identical sister, and you will address her as Miss Ram," Shota paused, letting his students sink in the information. "Secondly, the Sports Festival wasn't just to show off your potential to the world, but to the heroes as well. You all have offers from various heroes, some more than others but deal with it," Aizawa harshly explained. 

"Good job, my cute little Izu!" Toritsuka congratulated, hugging her obsession from behind. Shinso, Rem, and Uraraka gave a nod of approval, the latter feeling a twinge of jealously. Midoriya was too preoccupied at the moment to care that his personal space was being violated. Instead, he stared at his placement on the board the board in awe, amazed that his name was in third place with over 1,000 different offers. Izuku wanted to shout with joy and cheer, to hug someone, such as Kyoko or Ochaco, because of how happy he was. The greenette knew how hard he worked to get fourth place, hell, to get into this school in general, but a small part of him felt like he cheated, that he didn't deserve any of this. When Eraserhead started talking again, Midoriya pushed those feelings into the metaphorical closet that he had in his mind; it was bursting at the seams with traumatic memories never properly dealt with. 

"While you all did receive at least one offer, you all will be participating in internships with pros, whether you like it or not. You should try to be serious when you choose your hero name, or else-"

The door closest to their tired teacher swung open loudly, revealing a man wearing a black jacket with orange shades, along with a yellow mohawk. "Or else you get an awesome hero name like 'Eraserhead' from yours truly!" Present Mic interrupted, using a bit of his Quirk to make sure everyone heard him. Unfortunately, Jiro heard the Pro Hero _too well_ , making her scowl in pain. "The names you choose now may very well stick when the media gets a hold of you, dear listeners!" he said as he struck a cool pose.

Aizawa groaned, closing his eyes for three seconds and looking back at his overly-loud friend, hoping he was hallucinating from a bad jelly pack. Sadly, he wasn't. "Hizashi, where's Midnight? She was supposed to be here so I could sleep," the tired teacher reminded, peeved out as he looked for his high quality noise-cancelling ear muffs.

"Come on, Shota, don't be that way! I'm way more fun than her, right, guys?" Present Mic asked the class, getting silence as his answer. "I swear they're mute sometimes," the mohawk man muttered, dropping his persona for a second. "To answer your question, Nemuri had a wardrobe malfunction after...unforeseen accidents. But enough about her, let's talk about all of you!" Hizashi shouted, striking an eccentric pose as he pointed at the entirety of the class. "Hero names are ultra cool, and they should match your style! You don't want to be called something like 'Waterboy' if your Quirk is fire, ya dig?" 

The class collectively cringed when they heard that, the feeling of happiness dying in an instant. "Don't do that ever again, Yamada," Aizawa warned, for his sake or his students no one will know. Stopping his search momentarily, Shota began to rummage around inside his desk for a couple seconds before pulling out some white boards with an equal amount of markers. "Pass these out, you all have fifteen minutes to come up with a name."

**15 minutes later**   
"All right, class, who wants to go first?!" asked the Voice Hero, looking expectantly over the students, hearing the soft snoring noises coming from Aizawa.

"Oh! Oh! I want to!" Mina volunteered, already out of her seat in excitement. After a nod of approval, Ashido walked up to the front of the class and showed her white board. "The Acidic Alien Heroine: Pinky!" she yelled, a smile on her face.

"Not bad! I like it, who's next?!" 

Aoyama raised his hand as high as he could go, a _sparkling_ look on his face when he got called on. Standing before the class, the flamboyant blonde presented his white board, "The Shining Hero: Can't Stop Twinkling!☆" he announced, striking a pose where he held his left hand to his chin, creating the letter 'L'. 

"Oooh, I like your style!" Present Mic complimented, mimicking the Shining Hero's pose, much to the amusement of everyone in the room.

Midoriya watched as his friends slowly got the courage to announce their hero names, listening in interest as he came up with his own. When he was younger, Izuku always made hero names for himself, usually being references to All Might (of course). Now, however, he knew he couldn't compare himself to the symbol of hope, as unlike All Might the time traveler didn't always succeed on his first try. So, Midoriya racked his brain, trying to recall any pleasant memories over his loops that might help him come up with a name. Instead, all he remembered was the sacrifices he made to get to this moment and that finally made him realize the perfect name for himself. When he was the last one called up to state his hero name, Izuku took a deep breath as he watched everyone stare at him expectedly. Writing the word out quickly on his board, the greenette flipped over his board with a smile. 

Kirishima, upon reading it, gave a confused look to his friend, "Isn't that name an insult to you?"

"Yeah, Green, isn't that what Baka-gou calls you?" Jiro asked, loving the pissed off look on the blonde's face.

"The fuck you call me, Ear Jacks?!" Katsuki exclaimed, standing up while simultaneously slamming down on his desk in anger, accidentally waking up Eraserhead in the process. The tired man gave a death stare to the blonde until Kacchan stood down, letting the man rest once more.

"Izu, what's with the first part?" Uraraka asked, wondering why he would call himself that. 

Izuku smiled sadly for a moment before he replaced it with his signature smile, "I...sacrificed a lot before I came here. Through blood, sweat, and tears, it took a lot of tries to get to this very moment," he vaguely hinted, silently thankful nothing bad happened, "As for the last part, a friend of mine a long time ago changed the meaning of the name to something more positive. Now, I take it with pride," he explained, looking at his girlfriend directly. "The Martyr Hero: Deku!"

* * *

"Okay, class, with the hero names out of the way, remember that you have only two days to decide, so choose wisely. They'll last for a week. Goodnight," Aizawa yawned out, leaving the class without him or Present Mic. Immediately, the class began to talk excitedly about who they should go with. Kyoko couldn't care less with what they were talking about as she stared dreamily at her beloved, watching as he mumbled at speeds no human could match. The stalker was harshly pulled out of her favorite activity by her rival/friend, Uraraka. The gravity-defying girl looked at her expectedly, glancing at Izuku at times as if to remind her of something.

A solid ten seconds passed before Toritsuka remembered her mission, slapping her right fist over her open palm in an 'a-ha moment'. On a mission, the raven-black haired girl bounced over to her Deku before jumping onto his desk, causing him to simultaneously snap out of his trance and blush. "Izu, want to go somewhere?!" she asked, grabbing onto the collar of his shirt impatiently, causing the boy's blush to deepen.

"K-Kyoko? Um, m-m-maybe? W-where?" the teen asked, slightly wary of her intentions and her...proximity. His stalker gave a bright smile, one that made his worries disappear for a moment. _"You know, she looks nice in the U.A. uniform-no, bad thoughts!"_

"That's a surprise, Izu!~" she replied teasingly, booping his nose affectionately.

"K-Kyoko, while I appreciate the, um, _'_ _attention'_ , isn't this a little...close?" Izuku closed his eyes as he asked hesitantly, like he was defusing a bomb. Toritsuka, seeing that he was temporarily unaware of what she was doing, allowed herself to drink in his features. His adorable looking freckles formed diamonds on each cheek, making her blush like crazy.

"I'll stop when you tell me, I-zu-ku~" she teased, purposely stretching his name out to see him get goose bumps. Her fun was cut short, however, when she looked up and saw the burning death glare Ochaco was giving her, silently telling her to hurry up. With a sigh, the stalker grabbed his hand and pulled him easily towards the closest shadow on the floor before he could react. Back in the inky black abyss of nothingness, the two stayed there in silence for but a moment before being brought back out to the real world. The sun shone down on them, the two of them facing a very familiar coffee shop. Behind them were cars moving down the street, with coffee drinkers sitting down watching them oddly.

Midoriya opened his eyes in a flash, uncomfortable memories coming to the surface from his sixth death. A cold sweat covered his forehead, his breathing becoming erratic from his slight panic attack. He blinked just once and before him was those damned woods; the trees blocking the sunlight, the darkness surrounding him, suffocating him. He was getting tortured again by Kyoko and his principal, being asked once more similar questions about 'All For One'. But he didn't die, no matter how painful or how much he pleaded to either of them.

In the real world, Toritsuka did her best to whisper sweet nothings in his ear as he rode out his panic attack, rubbing small circles into his back. She made a mental note to ask him why he had panic attacks in the first place.

With practiced control, the traumatized boy held his hands where his heart should be, trying his best to get oxygen into his lungs. After ten deep shaky breaths, he finally calmed down enough to notice where they were: The place he took Ochaco on their first date. Both confused why they were there and annoyed that he couldn't come willingly, he gave a questioning look to his stalker. She drooped a little under his gaze, feeling slightly bad and immensely guilty for giving him a panic attack. Looking at her when she was as sad as she was he sighed, placing a hand on her black hair as he ruffled it up. "It's okay, it's not your fault, just...ask me before you do that next time, okay?" he told her before removing his hand.

"O-of course, Izu! I'm sorry!" she apologized, bowing down closely to the ground. Holding that position for a couple of seconds, Toritsuka stood straight up with an guilty look on her face, poking her index fingers together. "I g-guess the coffee trip is a bust now, r-right?" she fake chuckled, trying to relieve the knot of worry in her stomach.

"No, no, coffee sounds great right about now," Midoriya reassured her as he led her to the glass double doors, opening it like a gentleman. "After you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of don't like the ending of this chapter, as it feels rushed. What do you guys think?  
> As a side note, sorry for the shorter than usual chapter, everybody. The holidays are here, so I'm going to ask an important question:  
> Update this story over the break as usual or no?


	24. Lies and Privacy Issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midoriya and Toritsuka talk with each other while having a hot cup of joe; privacy is ignored.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I can't apologize enough, hell, I'm ashamed myself. I mean, not posting for an _entire_ year? Blasphemy! ***laughs in dad jokes***  
>  In all seriousness, I hope you enjoyed the holidays and thanks to the few of you who told me to take a break! I feel refreshed/rejuvenated and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

**12:45 PM  
** "Hello and welcome to the Kyattouddo Café! May I take your order?" asked the cheery female employee, giving a small smile to the duo of U.A. students.

"Yes, I'd like the cinnamon mocha coffee with whipped cream, please," Midoriya asked politely, which earned a small chuckle from his friend. Confused, he turned towards his raven-haired friend who was holding her sides, unable to control her laughter.

Wiping a tear away she explained, "It's-it's just...wouldn't that be cannibalism?" Toritsuka asked, which caused the time traveler to blush red as he averted his emerald-green eyes.

"S-shut up," he huffed, pouting as he took the numbered marking from the employee. Looking it over, the greenette got an uneasy expression on his face as he saw that he had the number 180. "Oh, of course I get that stupid number. How ironic," he muttered to himself, leading himself and his stalker to a nearby Oakwood table for two. Ever the gentleman, Izuku pulled out the seat for his friend, patiently waiting for her to sit down.

"Um, t-thanks!" Kyoko yelled, her face beet red as she sat down. _"This isn't a date. This isn't a date. This isn't a date. You're just stalling for time, that's all,"_ she repeated in her mind like a mantra. Clapping her lithe hands against her cheeks, she began to fiddle with her thumbs, trying her best to not have a nosebleed at the realization that the two of them were alone together, with no supervision. It was enough to make her salivate- 

"You okay, Kyoko?" Midoriya asked, stopping her dirty train of thought. He stared at her worriedly with his eyes that shone like a sea of green, searing into her soul. 

Startled she stammered out, "O-of course I am, Izu! Always am! Anyways, th-the clouds sure are pretty, right?" she asked, looking up with her love at the opaque white ceiling. 

"Huh?" 

“I-I mean...how's life?!" Kyoko asks, doing her best to avoid suspicion. Right before he answered, an older man wearing a spiff suit came out, bringing out their drinks before them. Bowing politely, he left for the next table.

"He's well-mannered," Midoriya remarks distractedly, taking a sip of his very hot and equally delicious drink. Too lost in his own thoughts, Izuku couldn't even tell what it tasted like. "Life is...peachy," he mumbles, a bitter edge to his tone that his stalker noticed. His eyes looked similar to war heroes of ancient times.

"Izu, what's wrong?" Kyoko asked, concerned with her friend's wellbeing. "You've been acting off ever since we came here from the Heolstor Void."

 _"The what?"_ the time traveler asked internally, wondering what she was talking about. "What's the 'Heolstor Void'?" 

The black-haired stalker blinked quickly, thinking he was joking for a second before realizing he was dead serious. "You know, the dark place? The place where you can't breathe?"

A spark of realization went through him, an 'aha moment' coursing through him. "You mean that shadowy abyss you brought me to during the first week of school?" 

Cocking her head to the side slightly as she's seen Tsu done, she gave her best confused puppy look. "What are you talking about, Izu? The first time we met, sure, I did use my Quirk when I left but I vividly remember leaving you behind to do my job. Much to my dismay," she added the last part quietly, not noticing the look on his face. Looking up back up again she asked, "So you knew my Quirk beforehand?"

Eyes widening, the greenette downed his still hot drink, burning his throat to give him a second to think about his next action. Running out of the café isn't an option, as she can catch up easily. Leaving by using the shadow Quirk was out of the question, as he might be paralyzed after using it. Finished with his coffee, he decided to stammer out, "I-I, um, maybe? A-anyways, what's your j-job? It must be really important-"

Toritsuka interrupted by putting her cup down rather forcibly, causing some of the coffee to get on the clean table cover. She gave a questioning/suspicious look to her beloved before stating, "You're deflecting again," she pointed out as she narrowed her eyes, "I'm the second person you've done this to." Midoriya took in a deep gulp, feeling like he couldn't breathe as his anxiety skyrocketed. As he gazed back into the critical eye of his stalker he heard the two words that he feared, "Let's talk."

* * *

 **Class 1-A Dorms, 12:55 PM  
** "So why are we snooping in Midoriya's room, Shinso?" Rem asked from the doorway of said person's room, watching as her former master looked around searching for something along with his friend Uraraka and acquaintance Todoroki. Hearing his name, Hitoshi (who was sitting on Midoriya's All Might themed bed) looked up from the notebook labeled _'Hero Analysis for the Future No. 8'_ with tired concerned eyes, groaning as he apparently didn't find what he was looking for.

"Todoroki says that Green Bean is being an idiot," the lilac-haired boy yawned out, smacking his lips as he calmly (but quickly) skimmed the pages in front of him. Itching his head he asked, "Aren't you on guard duty, Rem?"

"Right, sorry," the former maid apologizes, doing a deeply ingrained bow as she turned back around, watching for the silently hurting teen. Usually, she'd probably smell him faster than see him on account of Izuku smelling like the Witch's Cult, but his room has the same overwhelming smell, if not worse. In the interest of everyone there (and the wooden floor) the Oni was put on lookout so she wouldn't throw up. 

"Where is it?! Todoroki, are you sure he would write it down?!" Uraraka loudly whispers while sitting on the ground, doing her best to not think how she failed her boyfriend as she rummaged around inside a box that she got from his closet. The container had a plethora of notebooks that were each one a different color, in such a large variety that it could make a rainbow jealous.

"I'm pretty sure as he seems like the type of guy that'd do that," Shoto responds apathetically, shrugging as he was reading a notebook that was dedicated all about him. It was, for lack of a better term, creepy how accurate and detailed each section was. One part that especially interested him was the 'hypothesis' section, in which Midoriya wrote down all the questions he wanted to ask the dichromatic-haired teen. A small part of him knew that he shouldn't be wasting time, but a sneak peak wouldn't hurt, right?

"I-it's gotta be somewhere, right?! We only have so much time until he comes back!" Ochaco whisper shouted, panicking as she looked through notebook through notebook, her face flushed with worry and dread. Grabbing a random notebook after not finding what she was looking for, she began to skim through a cotton candy notebook that she held within her grasp. Not even ten words in and Ochaco realizes that the whole book was about her. _"A little peak never hurt anyone,"_ Uraraka reasons with herself, reading at a comfortable speed as she read the nearly thirty pages of her. On the cover of the notebook read _'Student Profile: Uraraka Ochaco'_.

> _"Uraraka Ochaco, age is approximately fifteen years old, cannot confirm (as of yet) because I haven't found the courage. Her Quirk, Zero Gravity, cancels gravity which for some reason causes all objects and/or people to inexplicably float upwards a certain distance. Her use of her Quirk and her perception of it, while admirable, is fundamentally flawed. While it pains me to write this, Uraraka isn't living up to her full potential."_

Uravity raised an eye brow, intrigued how her boyfriend worded it.

> _"Must inform her of several ideas:_
> 
>   1. ~~_Suggest that she use a heavy weapon in conjunction with her Quirk_~~ _ ~~.~~ **Sold my soul to the pink haired demon (Hatsume Mei) to get her a 900 kilogram metal staff, along with other items.**_
>   2. _Inform her to add springs and/or a jetpack to her hero costume, allowing maneuverability._
>   3. _Ask if she's ever taken anything to help her_ _nausea._
>   4. _Ask why she hasn't put-"  
> _
> 


"Found something weird," Todoroki announced, catching everyone's attention. Uraraka, with a small blush on her face closed the notebook in a hurry, looking up to see the heterochromatic teen holding up a lime green notebook. From what Ochaco could seen, it had horrible spelling on the cover.

"Well? Don't keep us in suspense," Shinso urged, putting aside the newest notebook he had opened. Honestly, while it wasn't relevant to the search, Hitoshi felt an ominous sense of dread in the thought of these detailed notes getting into the wrong hands.

Shoto squinted at the pages in front of him, trying to understand exactly what he was reading. "It's an analysis of his Quirks, but...some of it doesn't make sense."

* * *

 **Kyattouddo Café, 1:00 PM  
** A nearby grandfather's clock chimed as Kyoko's fiery gaze leveled onto Midoriya, concern mixed with anger in those scarlet-red eyes. "I was going to ask you when we got back to the dorms, but now is as good a time as ever," the stalker said, watching her friend squirm around in his seat, looking at anything but her.

"Ask? A-ask what?" Izuku questioned, playing dumb as he looked for any convenient way to escape. Unfortunately, none were there, trapping him. After hearing a loud fake cough from his friend, he begrudgingly turned to face her.

"Midoriya Izuku, sweetie, the love of my life, are you hiding a secret Quirk from me and less importantly my employer, Nezu?" Toritsuka asked accusingly, her ever unwavering stare unnerving him.

Deku swallowed nervously, scratching the back of his head in worry, thinking up a plan as quickly as he could. Putting on a façade of being nonchalant the greenette asked, "Wait, so Principal Nezu is your employer too? Wouldn't that be a conflict of interest, Kyoko?" Midoriya joked as he took another drink of his coffee, hoping his plan works because if it doesn't... _"Let's not finish that thought. It has to."_

"Izu-"

"But it makes sense that you're working for him, it's just embarrassing to finally put the pieces together," the greenette thought aloud, remembering that horrible interrogation in the forest.

"Izu, you're-"

"In any case," Midoriya interrupted again, finally able to build up the courage to finalize his plan, "you're right, I _am_ hiding a Quirk. And I assume you already know it?" Izuku asked, trying to lie as best as he could.

Seemingly mollified, Kyoko nodded her head, "Nezu has a couple of theories, but yes, me and him think you have some sort of future vision of sorts," she revealed, typing a message to her boss.

Midoriya sighed for real, closing his eyes shut to pretend that everything was fine. Deku yearned to be back in his girlfriend's arms, with her comforting him as he wailed on her lap. _"Wait, how did I tell her what was troubling_ _me?"_ Izuku thought, thinking back to that day. _"Come to think of it, I WAS pretty vague at the time...which means-"_

"Earth to Izu, what's wrong? You just went silent for awhile," Toritsuka asked, stopping her typing to the principal for a moment. Midoriya pulled away from his thoughts as he steeled his resolve, deciding to do a little wager.

"I mean, you're not _technically_ wrong," the time traveler cryptically replied, giving a sincere smile at realizing that he can finally talk about Return by Death even if it was in simple terms. "It's more of a...passive Quirk, only turning on every now and again," Midoriya said, feeling his mask starting to break. "Hey, uh, I gotta go to the bathroom, I'll be right back!" he lied, standing up as he pushed in his chair as he hastily made his way to destress.

Unbeknownst to the boy, Toritsuka smiled sadly yet proudly, saying to herself in a soft whisper, "So you stop stuttering when you lie, huh?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have any of you seen the newest Re:Zero episode that came out today?! I want more!  
>   
> Sorry for the shorter chapter, I swear my teachers are out to make me lose sleep with my schedule. I promise, however, that I'll put in all my effort into the next chapter to make sure it's an absolute banger.


	25. The First Intervention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midoriya gets to have a lovely chat with the principal and emotional baggage gets released.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back  
> Back again  
> Nitro's back  
> Tell a friend

**3:00 PM, Principal Nezu's Office**  
The afternoon sunlight shone through the window of the chimera's office, illuminating every face in the room. "Ah, I'm so glad you're here, Young Midoriya. We have much to discuss," Nezu informed the greenette, sitting comfortably in his office chair. "Would you like some tea?" the white bear asked, trying to calm down the worry-filled student. Izuku politely said no as he sat roughly in the center of the principal's room, being watched with two anxious and deeply concerned stares from Uraraka and Bakugo of all people.

Aizawa leaned against a wall, staring impassively at his troubled student, trying his best not to show a hint of emotion to him. But with each passing second it became harder and harder as Shota had watched the boy come a long way from defeating a giant robot to earning third place at the Sports Festival.

"So...why am I here?" Midoriya innocently asked, feeling like he accidentally did something wrong with the troubled looks being directed at him. What do we have to di-discuss?" he stammered as he began to squirm under the gaze of everyone in the room, with the back of his neck was getting more itchy with every passing second. It had (unfortunately) become a nervous tick of his, especially after the U.S.J Incident.

The blonde explosive teen scoffed, amazed at how dense the nerd could be. “Cut the crap, Deku, you lying sack of shit!” Bakugo yelled as he accidentally exploded a small section of the beige couch he was sitting on. His concerned glowering eyes stared at the greenette, Katsuki doing his absolute best to not slap the shit out of a particular someone.

”My couch…” Nezu muttered under his breath, a little miffed. He’ll talk to the blonde later, _privately_. For now though, he had more important matters to deal with.

”Do you not understand subtlety?” Aizawa deadpanned, pinching the bridge of his nose in agitation at the idiocy of both of his students. At least Uraraka was a bit-

“Deku, why didn’t you tell us?! I could’ve-I mean, _we_ could’ve helped you!” Ochaco cried out, her hands playing around with her special three-fingered gloves which she only wore when she didn’t want to accidentally float at all. “Is that why you were so sad that day?” she asked quietly, ashamed she didn’t notice her boyfriend’s turmoil sooner. No, that's wrong. She _chose_ to ignore it, hoping it would go away on its own. And look where it got her.

The back of Midoriya’s neck flared, begging to be itched as his mind began racing to come up with a half-way decent plan to escape his fuck up. _“I can’t just run away, they’ll find me eventually. I can’t just lie, nor can I tell the truth to them. Especially Nezu, as he…he would just ki-“_

”Young Midoriya, why are you scowling?” his principal asked, watching with morbid interest as he saw fear mixed with anger hiding behind the greenette's eyes being directed at him. His tail came to a rest as was usual whenever his instincts told him that something was majorly wrong. It oddly reminded him of when Yagi told him that he would be moving to America for awhile, after the tragic death of his mentor. 

Aizawa stood up, and walked away from the wall, sitting down next to Bakugo so that he could help his student more directly. ”Look, kid, everyone here wants to help you,” Shota began, looking at Izuku with the barest hint of worry. _"Acting apathetically is getting me nowhere,"_ the tired man thought as he sighed, dropping his metaphorical mask to show his concern. “I'm not going to lie, I'm a bit worried for you.”

Extreme déjà vu bulldozed straight into the greenette, reminding him of his sixth death (or was it his fifth?). The time traveler giggled unknowingly, smiling faintly for the first time ever since he walked through the door. “So you always cared, huh?” Izuku muttered unknowingly, letting everyone in the near-silent room hear his thoughts.

Aizawa raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out how the kid _already_ knew he cared about all of his students. _"No, I can think about that later,"_ the Pro Hero thought as he signaled to Nezu to show the video with a brief flash of his Erasure Quirk. The chimera, his eagerness gone and replaced with a certain uneasy feeling, brought out a small tablet to pass to Izuku. Once the greenette got his hands on the device, he clicked play on the lit screen. After a couple of seconds the screen showed a busy street with cars rushing by and a familiar looking coffee shop. Midoriya watched with abject horror as he watched the security footage record the very second he and Kyoko arrived, along with his panic attack. "Midoriya," Shota spoke in a soft voice, "you clearly have some type of PTSD from what I-no, from what _we_ can gather. Just tell us what's wrong."

"Yeah, Deku, just tell us who's the piece of shit!" Bakugo cried out as he stood up in a fit of indignant rage, making a small explosion as he palmed his fist; the blonde looked ready to pin the blame on someone, _anyone_ so that he can ease his friend's worries. He hated seeing his friend suffering (ironically enough), and it was mostly the reason why he tried bullying Deku out of becoming a hero.

"He's right, Izu! You can tell us, you can tell _me_!" Uraraka added, still feeling guilty that she didn't address this sooner, a knot forming in her stomach at the mere thought. A sudden thought enters her mind, a thought that just _might_ let them in, if it all. Putting on her best determined face, Ochaco stood up and sat next to her boyfriend before purposely making sure his head was on her left shoulder. The two adults/Bakugo watched confusedly as Uraraka, in a quiet tone like that of a mother comforting their infant child, whispered, "Deku, are you exhausted?"

Like a small leak, a few tears dropped from the greenette's eyes before being quickly wiped away in anger. Deku got his head off his girlfriend's shoulder, not wanting to break down and to show everyone in the room that he needed help that they could never possibly provide. Even if he did, they would never know exactly why he was suffering, as he could only explain it vaguely... _"I can explain it vaguely! I can tell them!"_ Midoriya realizes before letting out a shaky laugh; he then realizes that he creeped everyone out. "Ah, sorry for that! I just had an epiphany and I can explain everything, but only if you guys look for the fine print. Please?" Izuku asks desperately. After receiving a hesitant/confused yes from everyone, the time traveler takes a deep breath as he closes his eyes tightly before saying, "I'm exhausted from seeing things that...no one else has, things that they _should_ remember. I face problems that feels like they'll never end, no matter how I approached it," he finishes, risking a look to see them all looking puzzled except for Bakugo, who had an 'a-ha' look to his face. 

"No fuckin' way...time travel?! That explains...a lot." The blonde slams his fist into the couch once more in frustration, getting a certain glare from their principal in the process. "That's why you acted fuckin' weird that day isn't it, Deku?!" he askes accusingly.

The male gravity manipulator breaks out into tears of joy. Finally, _**finally**_ they understood. He could finally tell them (vaguely, of course) that he's suffering, and maybe he could even find a way to explain things in more detail one day. With renewed hope igniting within his very core, Midoriya Izuku replied back, "Yeah, Kacchan. You wouldn't believe how many times I died before I-"

Silence was all the greenette could hear. No more words came out of his mouth, for nothing in the entirety of the world moved a single millimeter. A purplish-black fog rolled into the room, and out of the dark abyss came the hands that Midoriya Izuku feared so much. They crawled up his figure before the left settled onto his heart while the right gently caressed his face, almost like how a person in love would greet their significant other. The right hand squeezed ever so softly, its purpose unclear to the breathless greenette. They slinked back into the void, the fog rolling away like a curtain. He hung his head as he took in a deep breath, clutching his chest in disbelief that he didn't get hurt. "I'm...alive?" he asked himself, forgetting that other people were in the room. "Oh! S-sorry about that, it kinda happens when I..." he stops talking when he puts his head back up as he saw the slumped over forms of everyone around him. His teacher had dropped onto the ground like an abandoned toy, Bakugo was lying down face first on the couch, and the principal looked as though he had merely fallen asleep.

The most concerning was his girlfriend, who was currently headfirst in his lap. Midoriya's face turned to a shade of bright cherry red at the...compromising position they were in. "U-Ur-Uraraka! Y-you're k-k-kinda, you k-know..." he stuttered uncontrollably, trying to lift her head off of him. He accidentally picked her up by her chin which caused his thumb to enter her wet mouth, making him to grow even more flustered. "We-we _really_ shouldn't b-be doing this, Urara...ka?" he stopped when he noticed that his thumb had a red, sticky fluid on it, not the saliva he was expecting. 

It smelled of iron.

The blush was now gone from his face, Izuku's heart racing even faster as he flipped his unmoving girlfriend. He saw the blood dripping out of her mouth like a broken faucet, staining his pants. He saw how her chest wasn't moving anymore because she wasn't breathing. He saw her glassy eyes looking back at him, the last emotion on her face being fear. Midoriya opened his mouth in denial before noticing that Aizawa, Bakugo, and Nezu were similarly bleeding just like Uraraka. All four ~~people~~ corpses slumped over, fear evident on their faces. 

And when it finally sunk in that he accidentally murdered everyone in the room, when he realized it was _**his**_ fault, Midoriya Izuku screamed.

* * *

 **6:00 PM, the hallway outside the principal's office  
** Shinso Hitoshi was by no means dumb. His entire life he got good grades, enough to put him in honor classes, and it was apparently enough to get him into UA. But lately, while he may be embarrassed by the fact and vehemently deny it, his grades have been slipping because of a _certain_ someone who made his heart feel like it was going to explode.

So now he was outside the principal's office, dispelling a yawn as he tried to gather the courage to step inside and explain how his sudden drop in grades somehow doesn't correlate with the new student joining his class, who was currently acting like (an admittedly cute and adorable) puppy towards him. Shaking his head clear of the thought, the lilac-haired teen opened the door, ready to face the chimera of the school.

What he saw instead sickened him to his very core. Four separate bodies, people that he all knew, were dead. Blood dripped out of their mouths, with their eyes wide open as if they died scared. Shinso would've thrown up all of the food in his body if he didn't see a familiar mop of green hair shaking uncontrollably. "Izuku? What...?"

Traumatized eyes turned to face the now wide-awake teen, his friend looking like he had been crying for hours. He was holding Uraraka's corpse protectively close to himself, as if she'd disappear if he let go. "H-Hitoshi?" the boy croaked out, sounding like he hadn't drank anything for awhile. "I-I, _*hic*_ , I-I did this. I did this. I did this. I did this. I did this," Izuku repeated, shaking his head as if to deny the reality he was facing. His clothing was stained red with dried blood, his eyes red from the constant crying.

"Hey, it's okay, Izuku," Shinso lied, trying to calm down his mentally unstable friend. "Can you...can you tell me what happened?"

Midoriya shook his head back and forth hard as he firmly said, "No!"

With a deep breath, the lilac-haired teen pulled up his hands in a placating manner. "Okay! You don't have to tell me, okay? Just _breathe_ , Izuku. Can you do that for me?" Shinso asked, trying a different approach. Every instinct in his body was yelling at him to use his Quirk to immobilize the greenette, but a stupid small part of him didn't want to do that to a friend. No matter how bad the situation looked.

Midoriya took the advice as he breathed shakily in and out in a practiced manner. After a solid two minutes he felt slightly better enough to explain himself in a more coherent way. "I-I didn't mean t-to. I didn't mean to, Hitoshi! You-you believe me, r-right?!" he asked, desperation shining through his eyes as he clutched the lifeless hand of Ochaco tighter.

"Of course I do, Izuku. You could _never_ do this," Shinso reassured him, stepping closer as he inched closer to his distraught friend. "Izuku, I want to help you like you helped me, okay?" the wide-awake teen began, watching closely to make sure he didn't scare him away. "I know you're innocent, so why don't we leave the room," Midoriya shook his head, "and find a teacher?"

The greenette stopped moving, staring down at his dead girlfriend before turning his gaze to each corpse in the room. With his head down he asked quietly, "'ill me?"

"What was that, Izuku? Can I help you with something?" Shinso supplied, kneeling down slowly as he put a hesitant hand on Midoriya's shoulder.

Izuku lifted his head, regret and hopelessness adorning every speck of his face. Looking at his best friend in the eye he asked again, "Would you please kill me?"

Shinso's calm demeanor disappeared, replaced with shock and pity. "N-no! Suicide is **never** the answer! Don't you want to avenge them?!" Hitoshi cried out, his own waterworks activating against his wishes. He wiped them away angrily, trying not to break down and become useless in his friend's time of need. "Dying doesn't solve anything, Izuku!"

The lilac-haired teen watched as his friend chuckled bitterly, his eyes darkening before stating sadly, "It has for me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't decide whether or not to do Subaru's breakdown at the end of episode 13, so I had to do a little creativity.


	26. The Rage of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A room full of bloodied bodies, and in the center is Midoriya Izuku, covered from head to toe. _"Odds are he won't live to see tomorrow."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad you guys liked the last chapter! I swear, all of you are like my anti-depressants with all of your positive feedback.

**6:30 PM, the principal's office  
** It's funny trying to understand what someone is saying to you when you have an annoying buzz roaring in your ears; especially when you're not focusing on their lips.

Instead Midoriya Izuku was staring down at his dead girlfriend, Uraraka Ochaco, on his lap. The blood (which was now a reddish-brown) had stopped pooling out of her pale blue lips like a broken pipe ages ago. It was now dry and brittle, cracking apart whenever the traumatized boy moved or hiccupped a little too hard. 

"...u?" a faraway voice asked, sounding concerned with a hint of fear mixed in there. Midoriya paid no mind to it as there was no possible way anyone was alive in this room besides him. Not after his slip-up. The greenette kept wanting to cry every time he blinked, but his tears ran dry a long time ago.

"...uku?" the voice asked again, sounding even more worried this time, going so far as to dare take his hands off Ochaco. His death grip, however, proved to be stronger. She's his lifeline, the love of his life. The one he risked his life for several times. Why would he ever let her go?

"Izuku?!" the voice trembled, shaking the time traveler out of his depressed stupor temporarily. He blinked the tears away, trying to focus on who was talking to him. It was a blurry purple blob of hair, with tired eyes that looked like they were forcibly held open, a frown on his face.

 _"Oh yeah, Hitoshi is here..."_ Midoriya thought absentmindedly, still out of it. _"If only I didn't slip-up. If only I never talked, none of this would have happened...none of this would have happened?"_ the gravity manipulator thought perplexedly before realizing the obvious. _"I'm fucking stupid. I'll save them all,"_ Izuku swore in his mind, getting out of his haze as he gently laid Uraraka next to him, closing her eyes out of respect. He took a deep shuddering breath, doing his best to steel his nerves as he tried to ignore the protests of the last parts of his sanity. "I'm all good now, Hitoshi," the time traveler stated as he stood up, taking a stretch to move his unused muscles. "I'm going to fix this, don't worry."

Shinso's face further contorted into a frown as he wiped away the last vestiges of his tears, giving a suspicious look to his best friend. Izuku was just...casually stretching, doing a standing toe-touch as he prepared to do whatever he was going to do. The teen's face that used to hold deep regret and anguish now held something that Hitoshi would hesitantly call contentness, almost as if his friend had made peace with everything; he didn't like the absolute certainty that radiated off of the greenette either. "...how?" the lilac-haired teen croaked out in disbelief, his voice not not right from crying so hard. 

Izuku face muscles moved to form a smile, or at least tried to. Underneath the calm persona he was displaying was an inner turmoil no man had ever faced. "I'm just gonna do a quick Ctrl+Z, that's all," he darkly joked, feeling a _small_ amount of relief that he didn't kill anyone with his vague hint. He uneasily walked past his dead principal, who's blood had stained all of his desk. Oddly enough, Midoriya felt equal parts regret and satisfaction that the chimera was dead, on account of his 'interrogation'. Putting that thought aside for later, he began to try to open up the window.

"'Ctrl+Z'? What-I...why are you trying to open the window, Izu?" Shinso inquired shakily, his instincts telling him that something was going to go wrong. His purple eyes glanced at the disheveled form of his... _former_ teacher as he eyed Aizawa's Capturing Weapon. With quiet steps practiced from ages ago, Hitoshi silently made his way and snagged the teacher's tool, giving a silent sorry for disturbing the dead. 

Izuku kept fumbling with the convoluted lock as he tried to think of a good enough lie to tell his friend. When the silence stretched on for too long, he decided against the idea. As the lock clicked opened it brought in the cool crisp air from outside, revitalizing the foul-smelling room. Midoriya breathed in deeply, relishing the air for a moment before realizing that he was going to scar his friend for life if he saw this, even if it was temporary. "Hey, Hitoshi?" 

The bloodied Capturing Weapon in his hands, Shinso turned around confused before seeing the horrible sight. His best friend, the first person to _truly_ not care about his Quirk and accepted him as who he was, had one leg on the frame of the opened window, the teen's green eyes staring longingly at the floor. His eyes widened, bugging out inside of his head as he ran forward desperately. Before his best friend could react, Hitoshi harshly pulled the greenette from committing the worst mistake of his life, accidentally slamming him onto the floor in the process. Not wasting any time he began to tie Midoriya up against his will, anger coursing through his very being. "What the hell are you thinking, Izuku?! You-you-you can't do this to yourself!" he wept as he straddled the young lad to prevent him from escaping. Midoriya's eyes held guilt and impatientness, while Shinso's eyes held every emotion under the sun. "You can't do this! You...you can't do this to me," Hitoshi cried, his tears landing lightly on the teen's freckled face.

"Hitoshi...?" Izuku stopped his thrashing, seeing Shinso's betrayed eyes reflecting him.

The orange sunset fell behind Shinso's form as he stopped his crying for a second, giving Izuku pause from how _angry_ they were. "Why?! You were just-just going to leave me here?! I thought we were going to suffer through this _together!_ You were my first friend, my first REAL friend! I'm not losing you too!" Hitoshi declared, increasing the force on Midoriya's arms to keep him there. Izuku watched in horror as his friend took out his smartphone before dialing 119. "There's been a murder at UA High School..." Shinso began, struggling to keep his friend down as he began to thrash about once more.

"Hitoshi, just-just let me die!" Midoriya begged, disgusted of himself for having to say that to his friend. He watched as Hitoshi finished the call before seeing the boy's body relax, albeit slightly.

Disappointed eyes looked upon the greenette, pity radiating off of Shinso like a heater. The purple-haired teen shook his head as he softly declared, "We're going to get through this, okay?"

Fresh tears sprang from Midoriya's tear ducts, his mind crumbling as he refused to accept this new bleak reality. A reality without the love of his life. A reality without his former bully now friend again. A reality without his 'gruff' but secretly loving teacher. He closed his eyes in pain, his emotions overwhelming him, his mind threatening to break. "Stop," Izuku pleaded to no avail.

"I'll make sure you get the help you need and maybe..."

"Hitoshi, stop."

"Just maybe we'll get through this," Shinso thought aloud, hope welling in his chest despite the pessimism that usually surrounded him. A small sad smile appeared on his face.

"Let me go, please?"

"You'll-you'll probably go to jail, but I'm sure if I help I could reduce-"

Bright icy blue eyes shot open in fear as Midoriya Izuku screamed, "I SAID STOP!" A sudden shift in gravity pushed his friend towards the ceiling at unfathomable speeds. A loud _SNAP_ reverberated throughout the small office before a loud _CRASH_ landed on top of Principal Nezu's desk. 

Out of his restraints, Midoriya stood up in absolute dread as he saw the unbreathing form of his Shinso Hitoshi, his neck at an awkward angle with a look of surprise on his face. Deku's legs gave out as he tried to scream unsuccessfully at the sight before him. The body count, now five, made him understand something that he had forgotten temporarily: That all of this was real. Shinso was the last push he needed to realize that. When the smell of rotten meat and iron finally hit him it was bad enough that he threw up bile onto the floor. The blood practically painted the floor/furniture, giving everything a reddish-brown color. First Ochaco, then Kacchan, Aizawa, Nezu, and now...Hitoshi. _"Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! They're all dead...they're all dead because of me!"_ Izuku repeated in his mind, struggling how he could he do such a heinous act. His mind tortured him as it showed the countless interactions that he and Shinso went through together, such as surviving the USJ attack together. _"I didn't want any of this!"_ he screamed in his mind as he backed away into a wall.

In the middle of his newest panic attack Midoriya didn't hear the light but fast footsteps approaching the room, nor did he hear the feminine gasp that followed shortly after.

* * *

It started out like a wonderful day. Watch Shinso wake up, get ready for school, search for incriminating evidence against the foul smelling one, spend time with her favorite insomniac, then ask if he wanted to go on a date with her. Rem knew something went wrong the moment sister said that she couldn't contact Nezu, who usually answered despite any circumstance. She felt the fear and dread fill her Od, and as she went to the Principal's office the feeling got worse and worse. First, the smell off the witch infiltrated her nose, causing her discomfort. Then the smell of iron and bile came with it soon after. She ran into the room, stopping herself in the open doorframe to see the gruesome sight that laid before her. Rem's tearful blue eyes scanned the room in shock, taking in all the bloody details. Her teacher, dead. Some of her classmates, dead. The principal of the entire school? Dead, his pristine white fur drenched in his own liquids.

And on the desk of the chimera's was her savior, his pale neck snapped at an awkward angle, a look of surprise on his dead face; his clothing bloodied. "Sho?" Rem gasped out, tears springing from her eyes as she wept. _"He's gone..."_ the oni thought depressingly, her perfect posture drooping. _"I've avenge you, Hitoshi, I swear on the Dragon,"_ she promised as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Sadness won't get her anywhere, especially when there was a killer on the loose. The former maid violently shook her head, trying to suppress the urge to breakdown and replaced it with pure unfiltered rage. Rem took in a deep inhale of the hair through her nose, trying to smell the last person who had taken away her Shinso from him.

At first, all she smelled was the usual: Uraraka’s scent was on him from earlier when they searched the greenette’s room, with a hint of their teacher/principal. She grew even more agitated when the smell of _him_ kept blocking her senses from finding out who killed…

“Rem?” a voice croaked out from her right, startling the oni out of her thought. With a dawning realization coming upon her, she turned her head to face the crumpled form of _him_. “I-I can e-ex-explain…” he began, holding up his bloodied hands to placate her.

” _You_ ,” Rem spat out, taking measured steps as she inched ever so closer to her target. Her brow furrowed, her eyes narrowing as a murderous aura radiated off her. “I should’ve known.”

“Wait, i-it was an accident!” Midoriya spoke, trying his best to fool her. “I-I didn’t mean to!”

But Rem was no fool. She slammed her shoe into the tear-stained cheek of Izuku, knocking him down into his own disgusting bile. “You lie…” she stated menacingly, grinding her shoe with more force little by little. “You’re a murderer, Midoriya Izuku.” The traitor tried to speak, only to find his jaw was forced shut by the sheer weight of her foot. “These were Sho’s friends, _your_ friends, yes?”

Rem slightly released the pressure, allowing Midoriya to speak, “Rem, just…kill me-”

The livid oni took her foot off in disgust, pulling Izuku head up by his green hair to make him eye level with the corpse on the desk. He hissed slightly in pain as he averted his eyes, not wanting to see it. "Look," she commanded, clenching his hair even harder to bend him to her will.

"I-I-I didn't-"

Impatience surged through Rem as she smashed the liar's face into the desk, leaving a fresh blood smear behind. His nose had spilt open from the impact, which would hopefully leave a scar (if he lived, that is). "I said look!" she shouted, bringing his face closer to Shinso's corpse. Finally he opened his eyes, regret and sorrow evident on his face. His forehead leaked blood slightly into his eyes as it colored in his sclera, mixing in with his tears. "You. Did. This. Am I correct?" she whispered coldly, bringing his head up forcibly closer to her mouth.

"Y-yes..." he admitted with misery.

"And you dare ask for mercy? Did Hitoshi ask for mercy?! Did they," Rem gestured to the other bodies (specifically Uraraka), "ask for mercy?" she questioned as she pieced together the scene before her. She ignored the hiccupping sobs coming from him as she threw him into a nearby wall, splintering it as his body caved in. Ever the persistent one, he slowly made his way back up as he held his broken left arm up. She tsked as she got closer to him, a part of her wondering why he wasn't fighting back. "Shinso told me to give you a chance on the day of the festival, saying he’d entrust his life to you…" she admitted, looking back on that day fondly. "I explained to him why I didn't trust you, why _he_ shouldn't trust _you_ , and he still believed in you...and look where that got him: Left for dead on a desk, surrounded by his equally dead peers. I should have killed you after the tournament, _witch cultist_ ,” Rem hissed out, enjoying the fear and remorse that practically oozed out of the greenette. She let the deafening silence fill the room for a second as she grabbed the abandoned Capturing Weapon, thinking over what she was going to do next. "Midoriya?" The traitor opened his mouth a few times but his words failed him. "I want to know what you think I'm going to do to you,

"Because I want to do something worse."

*********************  
** "Hello and welcome to the Kyattouddo Café! May I take your order?" asked the cheery female employee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you guys read AO3 stories more on your phone or on your computer?


	27. Sympathy and Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midoriya falls down and throws a wrench in his friends' plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Laziness got to me last week, which is why I made this chapter over 3,500 words long. I hope you enjoy!

**12:45 PM, Kyattouddo Café  
** The afternoon sun shone rays of light into the modestly packed café. While slightly dead and silent, it usually hit its peak after school ended, when their loyal customers (students) would come barging in, clamoring for some much needed coffee and playtime with the adorable kittens that roamed the café. So when the two young teenagers in front of her walked in she thought it'd be another day, like every other. That notion soon became discredited when the freckled teen in front of her just...stopped. He stopped blinking, he stopped breathing, he stopped...functioning. "Sir? Sir?" the waitress asked politely, trying to make sure the kid in front of her was okay. The greenette, while looking slightly shocked, was clearly coherent when he came in with his girlfriend (who looked a little needy, if she was being honest) less than twenty seconds ago. 

Now he wasn't.

"Izu?" Toritsuka shook her catatonic 'friend' slightly, confused on why he was just...standing there, with a thousand yard stare on his face. Feeling perturbed, the stalker shook him even harder, rocking him back and forth until his legs began to wobble. A look of defeat on her face, she let go only to see her beloved's legs give out, allowing him to fall headfirst into the white porcelain floor. With a mighty crash, his head slammed against the tiled floor, cracking it ever so slightly from the harsh impact.

"Sir?!/Izuku!" the waitress and Kyoko yelled simultaneously, rushing over to the fallen boy. The raven-haired girl flipped him onto his back with ease, trying to see if anything was injured. From what she could see, her precious Midoriya had blood leaking out of the right side of his head, entering slightly into the respective ear. The shock of falling had clearly gotten to him, as his eyes were wide open, allowing much of the sclera to be seen. His emerald-green irises barely moved, rather vibrating in place as if he recently experienced trauma. "Izu, I'm going to take you back to school so we can-" She was cut off when the boy below her made a sound in response. So quiet that it was barely audible. He giggled. His mouth stretched into an unnatural grin filled with pain as he softly began to giggle, the tears from his eyes flowing visibly as they made their way down the sides of his head.

The giggles soon turned to sobs.

And his grin melted away, his anguished face begging for help.

**12:50 PM  
** Kyoko walked around in circles in the nurse's office as the older woman was writing down something on her paper, the former biting her nonexistent nails out of stress. It was killing her to not know what was happening to him. She wanted, no, _needed_ to know what was happening to her Izuku. As soon as he had his breakdown in the café earlier ago he practically became mute, looking so out of touch with reality that it worried the girl to no end. The only things he was whispering were too quiet to really catch, such as "...aco...oshi...chan..." 

Recovery Girl dropped her pen down on her desk in resignation, taking off her purple-tinted visor so that she could rub her eyes in frustration. Her Quirk had saved many lives, most notably Pro Heroes and the students of the school she's been working in for the last couple decades. Healing the poor boy's injuries was trivial, but the boy's mind? She barely had any knowledge of the mind, only specific stuff like trauma and grief. It didn't make any sense, he was only a teenage boy for Heaven's sake! The Youthful Heroine sighed as she donned her visor once more, prepping herself to deliver the bad news. It never got easier, after all. "Dearie, I'm not going to sugar-coat this: Your friend is suffering from PTSD of an... _unusual_ caliber," she explained, trying to deliver the bad news as best as possible. "Excuse me as I contact his mother." 

Left alone with the broken boy, Toritsuka was at a loss of what to do. Midoriya looked dead, as if he'd seen too much too fast. He laid on the white infirmary bed face up, still murmuring nonsense that vaguely sounded like names. Not only was Izuku falling apart at the seams, the plans she had set earlier with Nezu was going down the drain as well, but that hardly matters anymore, she reluctantly thought as she shadow-jumped to the greenette's room. The familiar nothingness greeted her like an old friend as it surrounded her, before her senses returned.

"...roki says that Green Bean is being an-AH!" Shinso yelled in surprise as he fell off of the hero-themed bed. Several guilty-looking faces stopped what they were doing, all except for Rem who took a defensive stance. Realizing that it was a false alarm they released a sigh of relief. Hitoshi glared at her as he tried to calm down his racing heart. "Toritsuka...what gives? If you're here, then where is Izuku?" he asked inquisitively, getting himself off the floor. He winced when he noticed that he accidently bent many of the pages during his...'purposeful' fall that he was previously skimming through. _"Great..."_ the tired teen thought sarcastically.

The stalker looked at the impatient/confused faces as she took a deep breath. "Change of plans, go to the nurse's office. Now," she commanded as she texted Nezu about the situation redundantly as he probably knew already. "It's about Midoriya, he's not-" as she tried to clarify she watched as everyone left in a hurry, leaving behind evidence to their wrongdoings. Sighing, she began to clean up their mess with an irritated look upon her face. "Oh hey, that's right..." Toritsuka spoke to herself, ticked off, "I'll give everyone an express trip to get you there faster. No problemo, guys, what are friends for?" she asked sarcastically.

* * *

Despite his body's protests, Shinso pushed himself faster and faster to get to his best friend in time. He passed by Todoroki and Ochaco by a minute as he managed to get to Recovery Girl's office. He rubbed his eyes, trying to make sure he wasn't seeing his friend, his _first_ friend, lying on his back looking shell-shocked. "Izuku?!" he yelled in alarm as he kneeled next to his classmate. He waited for a response that never came, "Izuku!" he yelled again as he shook the boy a bit, trying to gain his attention.

Awareness came back to Midoriya Izuku as he heard that familiar voice once again. "You're not real...you're not real," the time traveler repeated to himself as he covered his eyes with his hands.

"Izuku, of...of course I'm real! What the hell happened?!" Hitoshi asked, trying to pry his friend's hands away from his face. Midoriya shook his head violently, thrashing his head in an attempt to knock himself out on what he thought was a concrete floor below him. Acting quickly, Shinso jumped on top of his friend, trying to stop his best friend's attempt at self-harm. "I am real! Just-just look at me!" he pleaded, finally managing to stop him. Izuku moved aside his right hand a little bit, risking a peek.

"H-H-Hito-oshi?!" Izuku stuttered, not believing what he was seeing. Now lucid and (somewhat) sane, Midoriya realized in great relief that he wasn't restrained with his teacher's Capturing Weapon, that he was **safe**. He caught Shinso by surprise as he wrapped his arms around him in a bear hug, squeezing the breath out of lilac-haired friend. "Y-you're alive! I-I-I-I didn't mean to-to..." he sobbed on his friend's shoulders, snot and mucus flowing freely down Hitoshi's back.

"Ssh, tell me later. Just...breathe," Shinso asked, unaware that they had an audience. Todoroki and Uraraka stood silently at the doorway, watching the scene unfold before them. They didn't dare speak. 

They also didn't realize that Rem wasn't there, that instead she went somewhere else.

Taking in deep shuddering breaths, Midoriya begrudgingly released his friend from his clutches. The greenette stared down at his shaking body, unsure how to cope. "I'm...I'm okay," he lied as he watched Shinso get situated next to him. 

"Midoriya," Shoto finally spoke up, making his appearance known, "you're clearly not," he firmly pointed out as he leaned against a nearby wall. 

"Y-yeah, Deku! What's wrong?!" Uraraka asked in concern as she took the seat next to Hitoshi. "You gave me, uh... _us_ all a scare!" she amended, a slight blush on her cheeks as she noticed that Midoriya was staring hard at her in disbelief. "Is...is something on my face, Izu?" she asked embarrassingly, trying to wipe her face _just_ incase. With no warning at all, Uraraka unexpectedly floated upwards softly, being slowly moved so that Midoriya could wrap her tight in a hug, as if she'd crumble to dust if he didn't. "I-Izu! People are-"

"You're alive...you're _alive_ ," Izuku whispered in an incredulous manner, hugging her so tenderly that it worried the girl. "One second yo-you were...a-a-and the next-" he cut himself forcibly, scared of repeating his mistakes. Uraraka hugged him back after a second of confusion, determined to find out who (or what) hurt him.

"Ssh, it's okay, Izu. You're safe now," she whispered, trying to reassure him as that made him cry even worse. With his eyes closed shut, Ochaco turned around, trying to tell Todoroki and Shinso to help her out. Thankfully, the two boys got the hint and sidled up next to each other.

"I don't know if I should even talk with him," Hitoshi admitted quietly as he talked into Shoto's right ear, feeling the guilt well up inside of him. The heterochromatic-haired teen gave him a disapproving look to him before gesturing to Midoriya. "Did you see how he reacted to me? He fell apart!" he whispered a bit too loudly.

Todoroki hummed in agreement as he held his chin, trying to figure out why Midoriya reacted so...strongly to Shinso and Uraraka but _not_ him. _"Wait a moment...Uraraka is his girlfriend, but Shinso is practically his best friend,_ " he rationalized, feeling a thought bubble within him. _"That might work,"_ he thought as he took out his phone and messaged a particular someone.

**1:05 PM**  
"I was painting my nails, Aizawa-sensei!" Mina complained as she walked behind her perpetually tired teacher. Behind her was (most of) the class, in various degrees of annoyance at being bothered after school ended. To pass the time, Mina slowed down to walk next to Kaminari and Jiro, who were both a bit disheveled after their 'study session' was interrupted. "Heyah, lovebirds!" she teased, giving a mischievous smile as she saw the two of them blush.

"Mina, I swear to God if you tell Aizawa-sensei..." Kaminari trailed off purposely as he let sparks dance about his left hand. Jiro took that as her cue to manipulate her ear jacks and posed it to strike like a threatened snake. 

Ashido pouted cutely, "You two are no fun anymore!"

"I am!" Kaminari bit back, shocked that anyone would even consider-

"Nah, she has a point, bro. You haven't set up a single game tournament since you two hooked up. Love is super important and all, but ignoring us is like super unmanly, bro," Kirishima pointed out as he gave a cheeky smile.

Shota held back his traitorous chuckle at his class's antics, instead letting out a tired sigh as he continued his ~~anti-sleep march~~ walk to Recovery Girl's office. He didn't have any time to bring along his jelly packets when he got Todoroki's text. In all honesty Aizawa truly, desperately wanted to ignore the text message in favor of getting some much needed snooze time in preparation for Midoriya's intervention. But the fact that Todoroki texted him instead of following the plan like they agreed to do worried him too much, so he instead rushed out of his room and gathered everyone up before he knew what he was doing. _"These kids are going to be the death of me,"_ Aizawa thought as he approached the door. The teacher put on his best uncaring expression before facing whatever was so important to text him. Inside the room was Uraraka, Shinso, and Todoroki, who were all huddled around something for whatever reason. "This better be a damn good reason to interrupt my sleep," he deadpanned, cracking his knuckles to let his student connect the dots.

"Sensei, I'm glad you could make-"

"You're fuckin' telling me I stopped my workout to see fuckin' Icy-Hot, Pink Cheeks, and Eyebags of all people?!" Bakugo shouted as he tried to stomp away. Halfway to the door he got stopped by a familiar gravitational force; before he knew it, both he and Aizawa flew lightly towards the center of the huddle, revealing the mess that was Midoriya Izuku. The two of them were too stunned to voice their objections, as they were both trapped in an uncomfortable hug filled with snot and tears. After a brief second of trying to process what the hell was going on, Bakugo eloquently remarked, "...Deku, this is so fuckin' gross and I hate you, you know that?" 

Shota meanwhile felt something akin to paternal instincts kick in as he reciprocated the hug, softly shushing the boy as he whispered that everything was going to be all right. Unfortunately it had the opposite effect, but after a tense two minutes of reassurance from his teacher, Midoriya sheepishly let go of the two people he took hostage, scratching the back of his head in equal parts relief and embarrassment. "Problem Child, what-" Aizawa cut himself off before amending, " _Midoriya_ , care to explain what happened?" he asked in his best monotonous voice. Izuku widened his eyes before he shook his head, as if he was afraid of speaking.

"Midoriya!" Tenya shouted as he pushed his way to his friend, kneeling in front of him with a sympathetic look. "You were afraid you lost someone, right?" he asked, understanding in his eyes. The greenette nodded his head as he gripped the bed sheets. Iida laid his right hand on Izuku's shoulder before a sad smile appeared on the former. "When I found out my brother got attacked by _Stain_ , I was...devastated, to say the least. The doctors told me that his chance of survival was slim, that I might as well say goodbye while I could," Iida admitted, frowning as he recalled that heinous day. "I will never forget the emotion, the _feeling_ I felt when he woke up and greeted me. I wanted to crush him in a hug, afraid I'd wake up and discover it was a dream. I wanted to cry with him for hours on end, because I was so happy." He moved his glasses as he wiped away the few tears that had formed, "So believe me when I say this, Midoriya: This is real, and your friends," he gestured to himself and to everyone around him, "we're okay."

Gratitude swelled as the greenette gave Iida a hug, feeling a bit better than before.

**6:00 PM**  
"I can't believe I did that! I cried on my girlfriend, my best friends, and Aizawa-sensei! And the whole class saw it too!" Midoriya bemoaned, furiously whisking the cupcake batter in front of him as if it had personally done it to him. Sato had asked for an extra pair of hands in the dorm's kitchen earlier to Izuku after 'The Incident' happened, which is why they were working together to make sweets for the whole class. 

In all truthfulness, Sato didn't really _need_ the help, he just wanted to check up on a fellow classmate. "You clearly needed it, and besides, I don't think they minded." 

"Speak for yourself, Sugarfuck!" Bakugo shouted from the living room area, trying to beat the ever living shit out of Kaminari's virtual fighter. So far it was 2-2. "FUCKIN' DIE, GODDAMNIT!" he screamed before he landed an ultra combo, finishing as the victor. Katsuki tossed the controller flippantly over to Denki before walking over to Midoriya, dipping his pinky finger into the bowl of batter. He blanched as he tasted it, gagging as the taste overwhelmed him. With no hesitation, Bakugo threw the batter (bowl and all) into the garbage, much to the dismay of Sato. "Oi, Deku, there's too much fuckin' sugar in there. Measure it next time, okay?" he told him, his voice not too high or low. It was actually...room appropriate. 

"O-okay?" Midoriya replied, not used to such...gentleness from the explosive blonde. Bakugo hummed as he walked back over to Kaminari to resume their game. Before the fight began, Jiro whispered something into her boyfriend's ear, which apparently motivated him enough to wipe the floor with Bakugo. While the blonde screamed his head off Deku began to think to himself, _"You know, it seems like_ everyone _is here."_ Taking out the mixing bowl from the trash, he wiped off the remaining ruined batter. With the excess gone, Izuku began to clean it under the running sink, still finding it odd that almost everyone was there, with the exception of Toritsuka and R...and Re...

"Deku, are you okay?" Uraraka asked sweetly, waving her hand in front of her boyfriend's face in concern. She was wearing a cute space-themed pajamas instead of her favorite pink onesie.

Brought back to reality, Midoriya resumed washing the bowl as he shook his head, dispelling the uncomfortable thought as he looked into his girlfriend's eyes. "O-Ochaco!" he stuttered out, blushing at the close proximity. "I-uh-um, what's up?!" he asked, trying not to notice that she smelled- _"No! Bad Izuku!"_ He focused his attention on the ceramic bowl, trying not to rile himself up any further.

Uraraka covered her face, her permanent blush getting worse. "Deku! I told you not to call me that in public!" she whispered loudly, feeling her heartbeat in her ears. She slowly took her hands away from her face, also beginning to notice their closeness...and _maybe_ his cute diamond-shaped freckles. Distractedly she asked, "A-anyways, how are ya feelin'?"

Midoriya dropped the ceramic bowl with a loud thud, the hot water already becoming background noise to his newest revelation. He turned his head to his left, seeing Ochaco giving him a confused look. "You have an accent?!" he murmured with an amused smile on his face. He watched as Uraraka's confusion swiftly changed to horror, before he was grabbed by the arm by his girlfriend. She activated her Quirk before running away with Deku, the latter of which was being carried away like a balloon away from the kitchen.

As the remaining students watched Midoriya yell out in protest, Shinso stretched his back out like a cat, yawning as he thought, _"You don't see that everyday."_

* * *

 **7:00 PM**  
The dark of the night stretched forever outside the chimera's window. The moon's reflective light shone into the room, revealing a small white creature eagerly reading. "I must say, for not even having an intelligence Quirk, Midoriya Izuku continues to impress me," Principal Nezu remarked as he thumbed through the notebooks on his desk. Upon said desk was two cups of freshly made tea, along with a half-finished game of chess. He read through the notebooks already (several times in fact) but it was good reading material. "With all this evidence I _should_ trust him," Nezu thought aloud, taking a sip of his tea in slight frustration. "Maybe...maybe Yagi was right," he softly admitted, looking a bit displeased with himself. "And I guess by that logic you were right as well. I'm glad we didn't hurt him!” the chimera happily remarked, looking up from the stolen notebooks at the red-eyed woman in front of him.

"Yeah yeah, of course, _'sir'_. Is the job over or not?" she asked with slight annoyance in her voice, her skin getting itchy from the makeup she had to wear all the time.

"It is now, _'Toritsuka'_ ," Nezu clarified, giggling slightly. "I know you were committed to your role as a teenage stalker, but isn't your name a little too on the nose?" he asked cheerily, watching as she took out her contact lenses to reveal her dusky gray colored irises underneath.

"It worked, that's all that matters," she replied gruffly, "Honestly, if I had to do this one more fucking day with that blonde asshole that always yells or having to pretend that I'm jealous I would've shot myself twice," she sighed, holding out her hand for her unwavering cooperation.

"Before I give you your reward, I wanted to ask-"

The woman in front of him sighed dramatically, the feeling of boredom creeping back to the forefront of her mind as she slouched in the chair. With practiced movement, she sighed as she stood up before turning around and moving her hair aside, revealing the tiny (but noticeable) microchip on the back of her neck. Its LED was blinking green. "It's still on, you and I both made double sure that I would never get close to a mind-reader Quirk, and yes, I spent _my own goddamn money_ making sure this fucker would be silent," she growled angerly, still pissed that Giran conned her yet again.

"Actually, I was going to ask if you enjoyed the job," Nezu cheekily corrected, spilling his tea in a fit of sadistic laughter as he got a dirty look. 

"Fucker," she spat out, wanting to jam one of the nearby chess pieces into the animal's eyes. "Fine. I kinda did, besides that Bakugo fuck it was an alright job..." she trailed off, a slight amount of guilt building up that for the life of her she couldn't repress.

"But...?"

"...but I might miss Midoriya. Maybe," she admitted, remembering all the times they hanged out together. "While it was mostly fake, some of it...wasn't. He was smart, smarter than most of the guys I 'dated' when I was young. His stuttering was cuteish, and I might have developed a **_tiny_** amount of feelings for him, not a lot," she sighed, smoothing out her dyed hair. Great, now she felt regret for leaving, a liability in her line of work. "Happy now, Nezu?" impatientness evident in her voice.

"Indeed I am, 'Keshi'," the chimera chuckled, wondering why all her aliases were too literal. Nezu held up his right paw as he started counting, removing a digit for every thing he mentioned, "As you requested, your criminal background has been 'accidentally' erased, your new identity and passport has been made, and you're legally dead!" he happily said as he passed her the documents. Keshi grabbed them feverishly, looking them over and over again in scrutiny. "While I do wish I knew why you chose Tahiti of all places to lie low, I'm even more worried that you fell for someone who's sixteen years your junior," Nezu teased, earning a scoff of acknowledgement. He turned towards his window, a faint sigh of relief passing his lips.

"Before I go...you sure they'll forget me?" the thirty-year old asked, wanting to know if she ruined yet another life.

"I'm getting tired of sighing. Yes, they'll all forget you ever existed, that includes Midoriya as well," he nonchalantly reminded, watching the reflection of his former 'student' walk away into the shadows, never to be seen again. Nezu took another sip of his now lukewarm tea, still trying to figure out how the hell the fog managed to erase **everyone's** memory, including his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my fellow author's story!  
> [Living A Different Life In The Same World From Zero (Reinhard IF)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29186184/chapters/71657661) by UlbertSnow.


	28. The Second First Intervention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midoriya gets to have a lovely chat with the principal (again) and emotional baggage gets revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeez, I finally managed to type this chapter out. Sorry for the delays in-between the chapters; I don't have any good excuses. But hey! This chapter is thick and juicy, so you better not say I don't spoil you guys from time to time.

_It hurt. The chains were cold, the Capture Weapon restricted his blood flow like a snake choking out its prey. He doesn't know where he is, but he does know why the blue-haired girl makes him suffer._ _After what he did he deserved it: Every bruise, every welt, every hemorrhage..._

_And every lost finger._

* * *

**************  
**Midoriya Izuku screamed as he shot up from his restless nightmare within his darkroom. He held his hand over his heart, trying in vain to get himself calm. His body shook like a leaf in a tempest storm, the fear still haunting him for minutes on end. All the while Izuku breathed in from his mouth and out through his nose a dozen times, finally able to get a rough handle on his panic attack. _"God, I'm pathetic,"_ he thought forlornly as he wiped the cold sweat off of his forehead, doing his best to remind himself that it wasn't real ~~anymore~~. Rubbing his emerald-green eyes to get rid of the gunk that built up from last night, he tried to forget what Rem inflicted upon him for countless days. A small part of Midoriya reminded him that he should be thankful he hasn't seen her yet in this loop, but he shoved that 'happy' thought aside.

On shaky legs the time traveler took slow, agonizing steps into his bathroom, not noticing that his closet was wide-open. After subjecting his eyes to pure torture (otherwise know as artificial light) when he found the light switch, Izuku walked over to his porcelain sink before grabbing his All Might toothbrush. The greenette risked a look at his reflection, wincing when he saw himself. He looked and felt like shit. He had bags under his eyes, his skin looked a little too pale, and worst of all his face looked dead. After brushing for two minutes (all the while he stared at his miserable expression), he sighed after spitting out his mint-flavored toothpaste.

The traumatized teen decided to splash some cold water on his face; it was grounding, the shock of the cold reminding him he was **here** in his bathroom, not with Rem. Like clockwork, he opened his bathroom cabinet to apply some concealer to his face, trying his best to hide his eyebags. _"I'm finally getting better at this, unlike some things..."_ he sadly thought as he finished. Before Izuku could draw his bath, he heard an impatient knock on his door.

"Midoriya, wake up," said an unknown feminine voice, annoyance in her tone. Forgetting his troubles for a moment, Izuku walked out of his bathroom and opened his door, coming face to face with an identical version of Rem. He stopped breathing as he took her form in: Unlike Rem, she had pink hair instead of blue and she had her darkish pink eyes instead of cerulean ones. To top it off, her right eye was visible instead of her left, which basically made her a living reflection of Rem. She was wearing a maid outfit that had the U.A. colors instead of the usual black and white. Currently she was glaring at Izuku with her arms crossed over her bosom. "Making me wake you up and then having you stare at me in such a desperate manner is unbecoming of you, Midoriya-I mean, Mudaoriya," she monotoned, 'amending' herself at the end.

The time traveler took a deep breath as he reminded himself that she wasn't Rem, they were _completely_ different. "...hi?" Izuku greeted hesitantly back, scratching the back of his head in confusion. "My name is Midoriya, not 'Mudaoriya'," he corrected her as he closed the door behind him. The two of them were the only ones in the hallway, which was odd now that he thought about it. After all he did scream loudly earlier. "What's your name?" he asked as he cupped his chin in thought, feeling like he should know her name even though he has never meant this Rem-lookalike.

"I am your senpai, Miss Ram, the older sister of Rem, your adorable classmate. I have been ordered to wake you up, you deadbeat," she casually insulted, having an aura of smugness surrounding her that was reminiscent of Monoma. "Principal Nezu has requested your presence," she relayed, attempting to bow before she stopped quickly, realizing her mistake. With a sigh, Ram began to walk away in slight haste, going to the nearby staircase. Feeling like he should follow, Izuku caught up to her quickly, a little glad that he was still in his wrinkled uniform from yesterday. When she got to the double-doors she opened them before she turned her head around, eyeing him critically, "I feel bad for the tailor who made your clothes, Mudaoriya."

Too tired to care about how he looked (or to comment about his new nickname), Midoriya yawned loudly, smacking his lips by the end. "What time is it?" he questioned as they descended the staircase. He noticed that she, much like her sister, walked with dignified steps.

"My, what a truly deadbeat thing to say. It is currently 14:53, which means you have slept for roughly twelve hours, thus making everyone worried about you," Ram calmly stated as she continued her graceful walk down the steps.

"W-w-why did I sleep so long?!" Izuku asked in alarm, realizing in horror that he missed the entirety of school.

"Miss Kayama entered into your room while you were unconscious and administered her Quirk, under the orders of Principal Nezu. Be happy, Mudaoriya, a grown woman sneaked into your room and had her way with you," she deadpanned, making the boy blush heavily as he shook his head.

"Wh-why would I be happy about that?! And why did you make it sound so dirty?!" he whined out, the last vestiges of his restless slumber finally leaving him. He sighed at his "senpai's" antics, taking a deep breath. "Why are you leading me to Principal Nezu's Office anyways? I can get there myself," Midoriya pointed out. "And also, why didn't we take the elevator? It would've been ten billion percent faster," Izuku asked as he quoted that smart character from the anime he and his girlfriend were watching together.

"Hmph, not only is your math horrendously wrong but you also play the 'why?' game too much in my humble opinion."

 _"Humble?!"_ the teen thought incredulously. 

"Your work ethic in your failing subject aside, I did not do this by choice, as I was assigned to do so, Mudaoriya. Much to my dismay," she added, her personal thoughts deliberately coming out to annoy him. "Don't worry, you've already proven to be bothersome the moment your lecherous eyes landed upon me earlier," Ram said with something akin to disdain, but her voice oddly held no real hatred or venom behind it.

 _"Assigned?"_ the greenette asked himself as he blushed heavily once more, activating Gravity Alteration to open the doors to the ground floor before his 'senpai' could open them. 

"Hmph, took you long enough," she teased, having a barely noticeable smile on her face.

**3:02 PM, Principal Nezu's Office  
**Light streamed in through the chimera's window, illuminating the room. It was an all too familiar scene: Aizawa Shota was leaning against a wall, Uraraka and Bakugo sat on the same beige couch, and the principal was waiting for his student to come back to reality.

"I don't know what's worse," Shinso Hitoshi yawned out, stretching as he sat next to his catatonic friend, "him crying and spouting nonsense or him being deadly quiet," he thought out loud, making everyone look at him. Undeterred, he continued, "While I do wonder what the hell is up with Izuku, why did the plan change?"

"Out of everyone in this room besides the principal, Problem Child behaved very strongly to all of us when he came back from his panic attack yesterday. Combine this with what we now know, and it'd be illogical for you to _not_ be here," Aizawa lazily explained as he sipped on a jelly pack he brought with him. "Wake him up, Shinso."

With a nod of acknowledgment, Hitoshi shook his friend slightly, but after watching his friend's blank eyes just blink slowly in response Shinso decided to change his tactics. "Earth to Izuku, come in, Izuku," the lilac-haired teen joked with concern laced in his voice, waving a hand in front of his friend's face as he tried to get his attention, as he kind of just...zoned out when he entered a couple of minutes ago. As soon as Ram left (after making sure to give Hitoshi a scathing glare), Midoriya had shut down upon noticing everyone in the room. 

"He's not in fuckin' space, Eyebags," Bakugo complained as he snagged the teacup in front of him in annoyance, somehow managing to not spill any on himself as he messily drank it in one go. The beige couch he was on wasn't as lucky, getting its first tea stain in the five years Nezu has had it. The chimera frowned at the sight, but decided to talk about it later, _privately_.

"Oh, really? And what gave that away, Izuku being in front of us or us not being at the JAXA?" the mind-manipulator sarcastically asked as he rolled his eyes. The principal fake coughed to get his two students quiet, wanting to start the intervention already.

"Young Midoriya?" Nezu asked loudly, trying to get his student's attention. He watched in relief when the greenette blinked rapidly, (hopefully) signifying that he was becoming more lucid. "Young Midoriya, we have much to discuss. So before we start, would you like any tea?" the hybrid asked politely.

"...yes, please," the greenette whispered, barely audible even in the near-silent room. Izuku watched in a trance as his principal poured him his cup of tea, trying his best to hyperventilate. But it was _s_ _o hard_. Everywhere he looked Midoriya was reminded that blood used to be there. Every time he inhaled through his nose the time traveler could swear that the scent of iron was still in the air like a suffocating blanket. And every time he looked at the people surrounding him he was brutally reminded that he killed them. Izuku shook his head, reminding himself that it didn't happen ~~yet~~. The young boy took a deep breath as he accepted his cup of tea, idly taking note that it was jasmine flavored. "Why am I here? D-did I do something wrong?" Midoriya asked, feigning to be ignorant to keep up the charade. "I-If it's about the wh-whole crying thing yesterday, I'm better now!" he declared, his lie practically oozing out of him.

Aizawa and Nezu looked at each other warily before the latter of the two gave a brief (but noticeable) nod of the head. Shota sighed as he put away his empty jelly packet, thinking about what he was going to say. "Problem Chi-" he stopped himself before amending, " _Midoriya_ , you know that everyone in this room cares about you, right?" He paused for a few seconds before he let the concern that was eating away at him appear on his face. "And as much as it pains me to admit it, I'm a bit worried about you."

Midoriya's tea cup began to vibrate as his heartrate steadily increased. _"This is uncomfortably familiar..."_ he thought as he willed himself to stop shaking as much. He looked at all the concerned faces in the room before landing on Shinso's. He adverted away his eyes, still feeling guilty about what he did.

"Deku..." Uraraka placed a gentle hand on her boyfriend's knee, trying her best to comfort him, "it's been tough, hasn't it?" she whispered sadly, hoping he'd let them in and help him. Everyone watched in surprise as Midoriya scooted away quickly from Ochaco's touch as if it burned him, looking deeply uncomfortable. "Izu?"

"Why are you guys all worried about me?" the greenette asked as he stared at his forlorn reflection in his tea, trying desperately to find a way out of this mess before he fucked up again like he always did.

"Deku..." Uraraka began as small tears began to form, "of course we worry about you."

"I'm perfectly okay, like always. We really should be worried about Iida," Midoriya suggested, trying his best to ignore the overwhelming instinct to cry right then and there.

"Kid, this isn't about-"

"Iida hasn't been like himself lately, he's quieter than usual and I found out-"

"Young Midoriya," Nezu interlocked his paws together as he successfully interrupted the greenette, finally managing to stop his student from deflecting, "this is about you, not Young Iida. We've taken notice of the oddities of your behavior, especially after yesterday's incident, and I must say it's quite troubling," the principal revealed, his cheery smile fading slightly. "You're a smart young man, a beacon of light that brightens up a room. Everyone here wants to help you."

Midoriya shook his head, a downcast look upon his face. "If you all really wanted to help me...then drop it. I can't-I won't explain it," he shrugged, putting down his teacup in slight agitation/fear. "I would explain it if I could, so may I please leave?" Izuku asked meekly, already knowing what happens when he opens up his dumb stupid mouth, when he desperately tries to tell them. It all results in the same disgusting mess, with everyone's corpses and their blood decorating every crevice of the room. He wouldn't let it happen again, even if he could reset it.

"...bullshit. That's fuckin' bullshit and you know it, Deku!" Katsuki bellowed out, spit flying into Uraraka's face as he turned his head to glare at Midoriya. He slammed his hands against the glass table, cracking the material somewhat. "Ever since you got your fuckin' Quirk you've been acting weird, even more so after I decked you over that staircase! If you want to explain then just FUCKING explain it, you asshole! You look and act everyday as if you something horrible happened to you, and yet none of us here know _a damn thing_ about it!" Bakugo spat out, pointing his index finger at his childhood friend accusingly.

"Bakugo, that's enough!" Aizawa shouted as he got off the wall just in case anything bad happened. This was definitely **not** in Nezu's plans.

"I'm not fuckin' done yet! Deku," the explosive blonde continued, "you were 'fine' after the slime bastard attacked us! You were 'fine' after that bullshit at the U.S.J! You were fuckin' 'a-okay' before you went to get some god damn coffee, of all things! But you're not fine! So just tell us already, Deku!" Bakugo huffed out, his rant leaving him breathless. The room was utterly silent after the explosive blonde's demand. Almost everyone held their breath, waiting to see how it all unfolded. Izuku stayed silent for a long time, trying to think of a good reason why he could say 'no' and get away with it. "Just say the fuckin' truth already!" Katsuki shouted with concern.

"The truth?! The truth is that how I feel doesn't matter, Kacchan!" Midoriya yelled back, standing up to confront his former bully. His whole body trembled, the words he never wanted to utter to the ones who cared about him spewing out of his mouth like venom. Izuku wiped his watery eyes in frustration, the feeling of inadequacy and self-hatred building up like a tsunami. "It doesn't matter if I'm in pain, or if I'm suffering, or whatever else you guys think I'm going through! As long as you guys are okay, how I am doesn't matter!" he argued, his emotions making it hard to breathe. Everyone gawked at him, worry evident in their widened eyes; each individual tried to say something, _anything_ that could make Midoriya feel better, but they all drew a blank. "The truth is..." Izuku whispered out as he grabbed the front of his shirt in a death grip, as if it was his lifeline. "The truth is I'm not fine. I haven't been since I got-

 _"Return by Death,"_ is what Midoriya wanted to selfishly say, wanting nothing more than to just get the weight off his chest. It was suffocating him, killing him slowly the longer he kept it a secret. But it was his burden to bare, not theirs. So what he said instead was, "...since I got my Quirks. I wanted to be a h-hero," he cried out, his voice breaking from his sobs, "just like All Might, saving people with a sm-smile on my face. When I first got my Quirk, I was happy that I could achieve my dream, my dream of helping people." Midoriya stopped, taking in deep breaths as he tried to continue, "But instead I make everything worse, like the _**Deku**_ I am, like the **failure** I am!"

Bakugo watched in pity and deep uncomfortable guilt as he knew that he was part of the problem; that _he_ made Midoriya feel like a Deku. A frown appeared on his face as he stifled the urge to knock some sense into the greenette. It wouldn't help, just like every other time he tried to knock some sense into Izuku when he was younger. 

"T-t-that's not true, Izu!" Ochaco exclaimed as she tried to get up, only to find herself suddenly feeling heavier than before. She looked her boyfriend in his now icy-blue eyes, feeling betrayed that he wouldn't let her comfort him. "You're not a failure!" she shouted, her reassurance falling onto deaf ears. "You don't make things worse, Izu, you make things-"

"That's a lie!" Midoriya yelled, closing his eyes as he turned around, unable to handle their disappointed looks that they must be giving him. He tugged on his fluffy hair, feeling like he was spiraling out of control. "If Kacchan never met me, he would have never gotten attacked by the Sludge Villain! If I never went to the U.A Entrance Exam, you wouldn't have gotten hurt and almost crushed to death by the Zero-Pointer, Uraraka! If I never went to U.A, someone better than me in every way could have been in Class 1-A, instead of me wasting the opportunity that I shouldn't have been given in the first place! If I never went to U.A then the U.S.J would've never gotten attacked, and Thirteen wouldn't have needed extensive surgery..." he trailed off, the memories about to overwhelm him.

"And if you didn't go to U.A I would've never met you," Shinso added in, challenging his best friend to somehow twist it into a bad thing. Midoriya turned around, confusion in his eyes as he looked at his friend. "You, Izuku, were the first person to not judge me because of my Quirk. You knew what it was, how easy I could manipulate you, how helpless you’d feel if you got tricked by me, and you still wanted to be friends with me," Hitoshi reminded him, mentally smiling at that memory.

"You...I...look where it got you!" Izuku finally settled on, his mind not able to accept that he didn't do something wrong. "If you weren't my friend, you wouldn't have gotten hurt at the U.S.J!" he argued, huffing and puffing.

Shinso shook his head, a look of determination in his eyes. "Even if we weren't friends, we would've still gotten attacked, and I would've still gotten hurt. To borrow Aizawa-sensei's words, your argument is illogical," he countered, wanting nothing more but to comfort his friend. But Midoriya needed a reality check more than comfort at the moment, in his opinion at least. Shota meanwhile could not feel any prouder of Shinso even if he tried, though he was still saddened by his other student's mental breakdown. “Izuku, you are **not** the reason why every bad thing happens. Sometimes life is just an asshole, but that’s why you have us. All of us are here because as you once told me, ‘you looked like you needed a friend,’” he slightly quoted, a small smile on his lips when he saw the flabbergasted look on Deku’s face.

The time traveler opened his mouth a few times, each time failing to start the rebuttal that would surely show Hitoshi that he was wrong, that he was truly more of a detriment than a friend. After a full minute of nothing, Midoriya tried his next tactic to show them that he wasn't worth all this effort, "W-what about Uraraka?!" 

"What about her, Young Midoriya?" Principal Nezu questioned as he raised an eyebrow, beating everyone to the punch. He put down the pen that was in his right paw as he took a sip of his soothing jasmine tea, waiting for the teen to continue his argument. While he was still slightly miffed that his plan fell to the wayside (and also about the unfortunate casualties to his table/couch), he was more than a little relieved that Shinso managed to get the greenette back on track, sanity-wise at least. The chimera watched as his student fumbled for an answer to his question. Seeing an opportunity, Nezu decided to add more credibility to his argument, "If my memory and the gossip I hear around the school is correct, I believe you've changed Young Uraraka's life for the better," he stated, knowing for a fact that his student had done so. He turned his head to face Uraraka, who looked as if she overused her Quirk. "Wouldn't you agree?" Nezu quizzed, his eyes non-verbally imploring her to say the right thing.

"O-of course he made my life better!" Ochaco declared fiercely, her face practically screaming that her mind won't be easily swayed. "Izu, Shinso's right! We're your friends...well, besides me but-" she stopped herself, blushing at the implications of what she said. "We care about you!" she urged as she tried to get up again to comfort him, to soothe him. But once again he stopped her, forcing her to sit. The increased gravity didn't even hurt her, but the message behind it was clear. Her face visibly turned sadder as she cried out, "Why are you trying so hard to push me away?!" 

Midoriya's face somehow grew even more anguished as if his heart and mind disagreed, forever locking the two in a never-ending war. He began to scratch his left arm, trying his best not to lose any more control of the situation. "Because if it weren't for me you wouldn't have to fear for your life everyday!" Izuku argued, pointing out the obvious, undisputable fact.

Everyone became alarmed as if this was the first time they realized she was in danger. Bakugo and Shinso looked to each other, wordlessly asking the other if they knew about this. Aizawa got off the wall and walked as close as he could to his green-haired student. Since it wasn't the first (nor the last) time he's done this, he instinctively put up his hands so he'd be less threatening. As soon as the time traveler gave a hesitant nod, Shota slowly pulled Midoriya's right hand off his left arm, wincing when the boy's fingers came back bloody. Thankfully no one else seemed to notice it, and the teacher managed to clean it up as best as he could with the leftover napkin that Present Mic gave him earlier in the day. Under the limited time restraints, it wasn't half bad. "First off, don't **ever** do that again, got it?" he commanded, his eyes telling the greenette that it wasn't a suggestion. "Secondly, why would Uraraka be in danger?" Aizawa asked 'calmly', but he was anything but calm. First the text message from Todoroki, then the notebooks, and now all of this. 

The greenette guffawed bitterly, being in absolute disbelief that none of them realized she was in danger. He scrambled away from his teacher, wanting physical space as his fists tightened, pissed that none of them noticed the obvious signs. His teacher backed away slowly, deciding to sit next to Bakugo's right. "How the hell could you _not_ notice?!" he shouted, "She constantly glares at Uraraka when she thinks I'm not looking. She cried at the Sports Festival when she thought I cared more about my girlfriend than her. Do you know how many times I had to stop her before she-"

"Whoa, whoa!" Ochaco interrupted, feeling uneasy with how her boyfriend was acting. "Who's 'she'?" she asked worriedly, feeling like she (along with everyone else) was missing a couple puzzle pieces. Or maybe the other way around, as Nezu, Aizawa, Bakugo, and Shinso all shared the same worried look for Midoriya.

"I'm talking about Kyoko! Uraraka, you already know this! You've-"

"'Kyoko?'" the brunette asked questioningly, her face visibly scrunching up. After a few seconds of contemplation a lightbulb went off in the girl's head, "Ooooh!" she elongated, snapping her fingers as she finally understood. "You're talking about _Kyoka_...wait! Jiro doesn't like me?!" she asked in fear.

Izuku couldn't believe this. Why were they forgetting her? Why were they acting like she never existed? _How_ could they possibly pretend that she never existed?! "Not _Kyoka_ , it's _Kyoko_! Toritsuka Kyoko?! My stalker? Impersonated Lunch Rush during the first week of school?" he reminded them, feeling like they were playing a cruel prank on him. He grits his teeth in annoyance as he looked at Shinso, who looked slightly unnerved. "Back me up, Hitoshi! You remember her, right?!"

The mind-manipulator looked at his friend's pleading eyes which were begging him to help him out. Shinso was seriously worried for his friend in a completely different way now. It was almost as if Izuku was crazy, but saying that out loud wouldn't be a good idea. _"_ _What did that detective ask again?"_ Hitoshi thought to himself, trying to replicate what was said to Rem when she was interrogated. "Izuku, what month is it?" he gently inquired, trying to be as soothing as possible.

"What does that-"

"The month, Izuku. What is it?" he inquired, trying to look as impatient as possible.

Sputtering for a second, Midoriya finally got out, "I-it's May!" 

Shinso hoped that he was mimicking the detective well enough. He risked a quick look at the principal, breathing out a sigh of relief when the chimera gave him a sneaky nod of encouragement. Emboldened, he confidently asked the next question, "And what was your hero name again?" 

"The Martyr Hero, Deku," Izuku replied, wishing his friend would back him up already. _"What's the point of these questions anyways?"_

"Okay, good. Last question: If you include yourself, how many hero names were made yesterday?" Hitoshi asked warily, praying silently that his friend wasn't schizophrenic or worse, loony.

"Twenty-two different hero names if you count myself. What's with the questions?" Izuku asked tiredly, feeling exasperated. He closed his eyes in slight annoyance, which gave Aizawa the perfect opportunity to lean over to his superior.

"Nezu, please tell me there's a camera in my classroom," Shota whispered, for once hoping he and his students were being spied on.

A smirk appeared on the chimera's face as he chuckled quietly. "What type of principal would I be if I didn't look out for the safety of my students?" he rhetorically asked as he grabbed the tablet that was in his rightmost drawer of his dark Oakwood desk. Turning it on, Nezu entered the security footage app and pulled up the appropriate file. "Young Midoriya," the chimera began as he turned the tablet towards the greenette's direction. It showed Class 1-A, and in the top-left corner it displayed the date with the time being twelve in the afternoon. "Would you please point to 'Miss Toritsuka' for us?" Nezu asked politely as he watched Midoriya approach the screen slowly.

 _"Creepiness aside, with this video I can prove that Kyoko exists!"_ Izuku thought triumphantly as he looked at the spot where his stalker's desk would surely be. _"Huh...it's not there...it's not there?!"_ the time traveler questioned worriedly as he focused his eyes intently on the empty space where a desk should be. The young lad shook his head violently as he began to count all the students in the room. "One, two, three, four, five..." Midoriya mumbled out quickly, his eye moving left to right as he counted each individual student. "-twenty, twenty-one, twenty...that's impossible!" he suddenly shouted out, backing away from the offending device. 

Nezu frowned at the scene before him, as it reminded him when All Might, or rather, Toshinori losing his composure after his mentor died. "Young Midoriya, this 'Toritsuka Kyoko' person, which I must say is a _little_ too on the nose, has never existed," he truthfully told him, his tail slowing down even further than before on account of his bluntness. The chimera sighed as he turned off the tablet before returning it back into its drawer. "While I am no psychologist, I believe you're suffering from PTSD and also schizophrenia-"

"I am **not** schizophrenic!" Izuku yelled back as he told himself that he wasn't crazy. They were the crazy ones, they had to be! _"How can I prove it to them?! What's something that belonged to her that I would have? Assuming everything physical doesn't exist for some reason, what's one thing I have that isn't tangible...bingo!"_ he thought victoriously. "Principal Nezu, Kyoko _has_ to exist, because if she didn't why do I have her Quirk?" he asked, knowing he poked a hole into their argument. "Observe," Midoriya commanded as he looked around the room. He noticed that one of the many bookshelves was producing a shadow onto the wall because of the sun's rays. Grinning, he turned on his Shadow Travel Quirk as he jumped into the large shadow, entering into the Heolstor Void...

Or rather, that's what _should_ have happened. In actuality, however, Midoriya Izuku slammed into the solid wall like a Pre-Quirk era cartoon character before sliding down noisily and then promptly falling onto his ass.

It was **gone**. His friend, Toritsuka Kyoko, was **gone**. One of his favorite and most convenient Quirks? **G** **one** , like it never existed in the first place. He felt bruised; with his hair and his everything hurting. He felt a whirlwind of emotions; anger, guilt, fear. And he also felt a great sadness, like when he ~~lost~~ killed everyone in the room because of his mistakes. But worst of all? Midoriya felt defeated. He honestly didn't know whether or not Kyoko was real, hell, he didn't know what **was** real or not. All he knew was that he needed a break. So he slowly walked out of the room in a mindless daze, ignoring the cries of protest from his friends.

* * *

**Thirty seconds after Midoriya's departure**  
"Why the hell would you let Deku leave?!" Bakugo yelled as he slammed his fists down onto the principal's desk. He was absolutely livid that Nezu would even let that happen in the first place!

The chimera poured himself a fresh cup of tea as he answered, "Tell me, Young Bakugo: Have you ever experienced the sensation of realizing that a portion of your life was a lie? A fantasy, if you will," he asked as he took a sip of the scalding liquid. Taking his blonde student's silence he continued, "Young Midoriya needs time to process. I'll make sure he gets the proper help he needs, I assure you," Nezu promised, thinking about calling up a favor for his traumatized student.

* * *

**11:00 PM, Midoriya's Room**  
Was the light even on? Izuku honestly didn't know as he doesn't remember turning it on before crawling under his blanket to cry. He peaked his head out, unsurprised that it was indeed lit. Before he went back into his Cocoon of Sorrow, Midoriya noticed something odd, something that made him suspicious: His closet was left open. 

He never left his closet opened. Ever. Call it an irrational fear, but ever since Midoriya could think and reason he was afraid of the dark. Not as much now (of course), but he still was paranoid enough to close every and all door-like objects in his room before he went to bed (especially after his stalker entered his life). Feeling like he should investigate, Izuku got up and looked inside. Immediately, alarm bells were ringing in his head as he saw his Hero Box's contents being wrong. Not only was it color-coded _and_ numbered, but it was WAY more neat looking than it should be right now. _"Well, 'logically' I should look there,"_ he thought as he looked through the box. Besides everything being out of order, it was fine...but while he was here, it wouldn't hurt to see if Toritsuka's Hero Analysis notebook was there, right? 

He rummaged through the box with anticipation, wanting to prove that he wasn't crazy. That somehow, despite the overwhelming evidence that says otherwise, he was right. After taking out twenty-two different notebooks (if you counted himself), the greenette assumed it was over until he saw at the very bottom of the box a flipped over notebook he didn't account for. With shaking hands he picked it up and looked at the cover, hoping beyond hope he'd see what he so desperately wanted. 

_#21_

_Hero Analysis (Class Edition) of Toritsuka Kyoko_

It was his handwriting, his honest-to-God handwriting. Tears fell onto the the purple cover as he couldn't keep the overwhelming joy, the overwhelming _**relief**_ he felt right then and there. Midoriya Izuku, despite what everyone told him, was not crazy. Kyoko does, or rather, _did_ exist. But only he remembered, as if he went back to an earlier point in time and knew future knowledge. A vow was made in that moment, one that the time traveler would keep till the end of time: He was going to do everything it took to prove his friend existed, and (hopefully) bring her back.

And he **would** prove it; even if it was the last thing he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was the intervention? I think it was alright. Was it good? Was it bad?  
> What do you guys think?  
> On a side note, my chapters will be coming out every one-two weeks, depending on how long I want them or how long it needs to be. As an example, 2,000-3,000ish chapters take one week while 5,000ish take two weeks.


End file.
